


Lost and Alone

by remanth



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Destiel - Freeform, M/M, Pre-Slash, Purgatory, Sabriel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-14
Updated: 2013-03-23
Packaged: 2017-11-18 15:17:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/562485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remanth/pseuds/remanth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam loses everyone close to him in their attempt to kill Dick. Enter Gabriel, who really isn't dead and has a plan to help Sam.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clouds

Sam was alone, his mouth open in shock. Dean and Cas had just ganked Dick, driving the leg bone through the Leviathan's neck. After the nearly silent explosion, Crowley appeared and smirked at Sam.

"Looks like you're all alone, Sam," Crowley drawled, snapping his fingers. Two demons appeared and took Kevin. The silence pressed down on Sam after the demons disappeared and he spun in place, his mind whirling. This was the first time Sam had ever been completely on his own and he didn't like it.

After a few panicked breaths, Sam pulled himself together. He knew he had to get out of here, get somewhere safe and try to figure out what to do. Figure out a way to get Dean and Cas back from wherever the hell they went. If they were alive. Pulling out his machete, Sam made his way to the doors and stopped. He looked out carefully, making sure no Leviathans or demons were in sight. Hopefully, the Leviathans were all panicking over the loss of Dick.

Sam walked silently through the hallways, all his senses on high alert. He had made it most of the way out when he ran into a short woman with long brown hair. She took one look at him and growled, her mouth splitting open to reveal the Leviathan jaws. Without hesitation, Sam swung the machete and the woman's head flew through the air. Sam was moving again before her body hit the ground, intent on getting out to the Impala.

Once he got outside and in the car, he turned the key and hoped. The car started after one cough, the engine purring throatily. He backed it out of the sign it had crashed into, thanking a god he was pretty sure had stopped listening a long time ago. He floored the gas pedal, peeling out of the parking lot before anymore Leviathans could find him.

Once he was about an hour away, Sam pulled into an old gas station and just sat in the car. Dropping his head into his hands, Sam let the shakes start. On the road, he'd been able to keep it together even while watching the clouds roll in and rain pour down from the sky. But now, alone and lost, Sam had no idea what to do. He didn't even know where to start looking for Dean and Cas. Bitter tears rolling down his face soon joined the shakes and Sam completely broke down in the car that still smelled like his brother.

"I don't know what to do," he muttered at the steering wheel. He didn't hear anything but some sense told him he was no longer alone in the car. Sam whipped around to glare into the backseat, machete at the ready.

"Hey, kiddo," Gabriel said cheerfully, raising his hands to show he wasn't a threat. "I'm just here to help, Sam, really."

"You're dead," Sam said flatly. "Lucifer killed you."

"Hello, trickster," Gabriel drawled, winking at Sam. "You really think I'd let my brother kill me? Please."

Sam didn't lower the machete as his eyes narrowed at Gabriel. He didn't know if the Leviathans could copy an angel like they did humans, but he wasn't taking any chances. Pulling out a silver flask, Sam splashed some holy water on Gabriel. Nothing happened except the man yelping and leaning back in the seat. So not a demon, Sam reasoned. He pulled out the bottle of Borax they'd taken to keeping in the front seat of the Impala and splashed that on Gabriel as well. No burning or screaming happened and Sam finally relaxed.

"Prove you're him," Sam said forcefully, though he lowered the machete. Gabriel tilted his head to the side, reminiscent of Cas when he was still sane. Sam waited, his entire body still tense just in case.

"All right," Gabriel said. "I know something that might convince you. When we were talking at Elysian Fields in your motel room, you wanted to know if the other gods could stand up to Lucifer. I told you it was a bad idea because my brother would turn them into finger paint. You, Dean, and I were the only ones in the room."

"Okay, good point. But Kali is still alive and it's possible she might have known what you said," Sam said, though his suspicions eased a little bit. "Tell me something else."

"When you found me after the Mystery Spot, I told you Dean was your weak spot," Gabriel said, sorrow rippling across his features. "But you begged me to bring him back and I couldn't say no. I didn't tell you what I was doing, though. I only said it was for me to know and you to find out then snapped my fingers."

Sam relaxed completely then, believing that the archangel was who he said he was. He sagged against the seat, his shoulders shaking with the tears he was trying and failing to hold back. Gabriel placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and squeezed gently, his face filled with compassion.

"They're all gone, Gabe," Sam said softly. "Dean, Cas, Bobby, Kevin, even Meg. I'm all alone and I don't even know where to start looking for Dean and Cas."

"The first step is to get somewhere safe," Gabriel replied, oddly touched at the nickname. "This isn't the safest place to be for a breakdown, Sasquatch."

Sam cleared his throat and nodded, scrubbing his hands over his face. He turned forward again, Gabriel's hand still warm on his shoulder. He made no move to shrug the archangel off as he started the engine and started driving again. Sam headed for the cabin he and Dean had crashed in with Bobby after the elder hunter's house had been burned down.

Sam got out of the car, Gabriel following him up to the cabin. The hunter walked slowly, his shoulders slumped. The archangel could see that Sam felt completely beaten. Resolving to do something to help the hunter he'd come to like, Gabriel bounced into the cabin and set about making a sandwich for them both.

Sam dropped down onto the couch, removing his gun and placing it on the coffee table. He watched the archangel move around the small kitchen, a tiny frown on his face.

"What are you doing, Gabriel?" Sam asked tiredly, the adrenaline from the hunt finally wearing off.

"Just relax, kiddo," Gabriel replied airily, dropping a plate into Sam's lap and settling down next to the hunter. He bumped his shoulder into Sam's, a cheerful grin on his face. "Eat something and then get some rest. We'll figure out our plan when you wake up."

"Will you still be here or are you gonna flit off somewhere?" Sam asked, taking a big bite out of the sandwich. He ate quickly, the simple meal filling him up.

"I take offense to that," Gabriel snarked. "I do not flit. I fly majestically with my six wings."

Sam snorted and put his empty plate on the coffee table next to his gun. He tilted sideways until his head rested on the armrest of the couch. The position was a little awkward but he was so tired right now that it didn't matter. His eyes closed slowly, focusing on Gabriel's face.

"Sleep, Sammy," Gabriel said softly. The hunter yawned one last time and fell asleep, trusting in the archangel to keep him safe. Gabriel pulled Sam's legs up on his lap once he was sure the hunter was deeply asleep, letting him stretch out across the couch.

"I'm not going anywhere," Gabriel murmured to the sleeping Sam. He sat back, his golden brown eyes trained on Sam's face. Every once in a while, his gaze would flick to the window, making sure the area was still empty. Dark clouds rolled in and a soft rain pattered against the windows and roof. Nothing would hurt the hunter while he was here.


	2. Darkness

Sam woke suddenly, darkness pressing down on his eyes. He could feel something under his legs, something warm. He struggled until a hand landed on his chest and stroked gently. That calmed him and Sam relaxed against the couch.

"Gabe?" he said quietly, his voice cracking with sleep.

"I'm still here, Sam," Gabriel replied, the hand still stroking over Sam's chest. The archangel wondered how often Sam had been held like this when he was younger. Wondered how often the younger Winchester had woken from nightmares to shiver in his bed, sleepless.

"Good," Sam told him, one hand coming up to rest over the archangel's. Sam wiggled his fingers in between Gabriel's until they were basically holding hands on his chest. After the day he'd had, Sam was willing to take comfort from just about anyone. Even snarky archangels that he should hate for killing his brother as many times as he had but Sam realized he was starting to like.

"What time is it?" Sam asked. He shifted a little bit so that he wasn't lying on his other arm. It had gone numb in the time he'd been asleep.

"About 2 in the morning," was the soft reply. Gabriel turned his head so his eyes rested on Sam's face. The hunter could see them glowing, a golden brown glimmer that barely illuminated the archangel's face. "You should get some more sleep if you can."

Sam nodded, fairly sure that Gabriel could see him even if he couldn't see the archangel all that well. Sam didn't let go of Gabriel's hand, just relaxed his fingers. He felt completely safe here, even knowing that his brother and friend were trapped somewhere. Sam believed that with Gabriel's help, they could find a way to get them back. He drifted back to sleep lulled by the sounds of Gabriel's whispered song.

\---------------------------------------------------------

The next time Sam woke, dull sunlight was shining on his face. He was the only one on the couch and his heart sank a little. So Gabriel did leave, after all. If Sam hadn't imagined him in the first place. Heaving himself upright, Sam scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. Guess it was back to being alone.

A sudden clatter from the kitchen had Sam whipping around, the gun that was on the coffee table clenched securely in his hand. Gabriel froze in the middle of placing plates on the table, eyeing the gun that didn't shake in Sam's hand.

"It's me, kiddo," Gabriel said soothingly. "Though you might want breakfast." With a snap, pancakes, eggs, bacon, and assorted sliced fruit appeared on the table around the plates the archangel had placed. Sam stared dumbly, his mouth open in shock. Finally, after a wink from Gabriel, Sam placed the gun back on the coffee table and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Thank you," Sam said, spooning some of the fruit onto his plate. After debating furiously with himself, Sam took some of everything, deciding that what Dean didn't know wouldn't be taken out on him. Gabriel sat down a well, piling strawberry syrup and whipped cream on his pancakes. And bacon. And eggs.

"So where have you been?" Sam asked once the first pangs of his hunger had been assuaged. "I mean, it's been 2 years since we last saw you."

"Here and there," Gabriel replied around a mouthful of sugary pancake perfection. "Once the Apocalypse ended, it looked like you two muttonheads didn't need help anymore. Little did I know, Cassie had a plan to open up Purgatory."

"So you've been running around as the Trickster?" Sam persisted, eating more of his breakfast. "When we could have used your help to stop Cas, talk some sense into him? When we could have used your help to stop the Leviathans? When we could have used your help going after Dick and not lost Bobby?"

Sam's voice kept rising with each question, anger bubbling in his chest. Here sat one of the most powerful beings they'd run across and he'd just admitted to doing nothing, nothing, when everyone around the Winchesters was dying.

"Sam-" Gabriel tried to say, a pained look on his face, before Sam interrupted him.

"Where were you when I was going crazy because of the Lucifer hallucinations?" Sam yelled. "Where were you when Cas was blown to little bits by the Leviathans? Where were you when Cas took all the crazy from me and it broke him? Huh? What was so god-damned important that you couldn't help?"

Sam took a deep breath once he was done, his shoulders heaving with the emotions spearing through him. Maybe they could have avoided all this, done things differently, had Gabriel helped them. He glared at the archangel, all the warm feelings from the night before evaporated in the strength of his anger.

Gabriel winced and put down his fork. Eating right now was probably off the table, at least until he'd explained. The archangel took a deep breath, marshalling his thoughts. This was... difficult.

"Look, the first thing you should know is that I didn't get away from my brother scot-free," Gabriel said quietly, looking down at his plate. "He did manage to wound me, wound my grace. The only reason I survived is because I pretended to die. The flash of light, burned wings, the whole shebang. And Lucifer fell for it, which is the only reason I'm sitting here now."

Gabriel stopped talking, one hand rubbing at his chest. Sam wondered if he had a scar underneath his clothing, some remnant of the damage he was sure Lucifer had done. Abruptly, the anger gave way to pity and a blinding relief that the archangel was still alive. He felt a little ashamed of his outburst earlier, but Sam shrugged that off. Even in the heat of his anger, he'd asked legitimate questions.

"Go on," Sam prompted gently when Gabriel didn't speak again. When the archangel's eyes flicked up to his, Sam smiled. "Come on, Gabe. I want to know."

"I had to go to an old healer I knew," Gabriel said, his hand still rubbing at his chest. "She patched me up and I laid low until my grace healed. It took a long time, nearly a year. That's why I wasn't there to help stop Castiel and Crowley. Though I knew about it. By the time I was able to do anything, the Leviathans were firmly in power. They can kill angels, Sam. Even me. So I decided to just sit everything out and pray that Dad finally got his ass in gear."

"That didn't happen," Sam whispered, his head bowing. He thought of all the deaths, all the lives ruined because of everything that had happened. "And now, Dean and Cas are missing. They're most likely dead but I can't believe that right now. I have to believe there's a way to get them back from wherever they are."

"You know where they are, kiddo," Gabriel chided the hunter, digging into his pancakes again. "Where do monsters go when they die?"

"Purgatory?" Sam breathed, shock evident in his voice. Though that made a sort of sense. Right before Dick exploded, there was a pulsing darkness surrounding him. Maybe that was some sort of gateway the three had been sucked into?

"Yep," Gabriel replied, popping the P. "And the big mouths are gonna be hunting them like no other. If we want to get them out, we need to hurry."

"What do we do?" Sam asked, his breakfast entirely forgotten. "How do we get them out, Gabe?"

"I don't know," the archangel replied thoughtfully. "But I know a guy who knows a guy who just might."


	3. Snuff

To Sam’s intense frustration, Gabriel would say no more about this person. He just dug back into the sugary mess on his plate, eating and smacking his lips with every evidence of enjoyment. Sam shook his head at the archangel and went back to eating his own breakfast. It was definitely better than the breakfast he might have gotten on the road or cooked for himself. There were benefits to having an archangel around.

“So,” Sam said when they were both finished and Gabriel was licking idly at a candy cane he’d snapped up. “What do we do now?”

“Now, kiddo, you clean up,” Gabriel said, grinning at Sam. He waved at the dishes on the table and sat back, obviously not going to lift a finger to help.

“Why can’t you just make everything disappear?” Sam asked, annoyed. He crossed his arms over his chest, giving Gabriel one of his stronger bitchfaces.

“Because Sammy, I cooked,” Gabriel replied, still licking at his candy cane somewhat obscenely. “That means you clean.”

“You didn’t cook,” Sam muttered, getting up and piling dishes up on each other. “You snapped the food into existence.”

“Po-tay-to, po-tah-to,” Gabriel joked. He watched as Sam cleared the table, dropping all the dishes into the small sink against the wall. The hunter was moving a little easier today and didn’t look as if his whole world was ending. Gabriel snorted to himself; it’s amazing what a night of sleep in the arms of an archangel could do. Or across the archangel on a couch. You know, whatever works. Magnanimously, he snapped up a Snickers bar, handing it to Sam when the hunter came back to the table.

“What?” Sam asked, eyeing the candy bar. “Why are you giving me candy?”

“Because I can?” Gabriel shrugged, waving the candy bar under Sam’s nose. “Just take it, kiddo. I know it’s your favorite.”

Sam took it and bit into it, tongue snaking out to lick up the chocolate left on his bottom lip. Gabriel looked away, knowing the hunter would be able to read his eyes easily if he kept watching. That, and he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from licking the chocolate away himself. Gabriel shook his head, surprised and resigned to this reaction to Sam. Looks like that night did more than just for Sam.

“So,” Sam repeated, finishing the candy bar. “What is the name of this friend of a friend and how do we get to him? And how does he know how to get someone out of Purgatory.”

“I don’t know what his name is,” Gabriel replied, swinging his legs up on the table and crossing them at the ankle. “I doubt anyone knows what it is. He’s rather secretive. He’s called Oracle because he knows everything. If there’s a way out, he’ll know it. I have to seek out an old... friend to see if he knows where he is.”

“I’m going with you,” Sam said, not bothering to move Gabriel’s legs. It’s something Dean had often done and the small act gave Sam a bit of comfort.

“This isn’t going to be easy or safe,” Gabriel argued. “You’ll be considered food by some of the people I may have to see, Sasquatch. It’d be better for you to stay here.”

“Would you in my place?” Sam asked reasonably, raising his hands in a shrug. “Seriously, what have I gone through to save Dean before? You think I’m going to balk at this?”

Gabriel studied the hunter, impressed with the sheer determination in the man’s face. This was a side of Sam that wasn’t shown often; he was usually standing in Dean’s shadow, the protected little brother. It was something that made the hunter that much more attractive to the archangel.

“Fine,” Gabriel decided, to Sam’s obvious relief. Really, if Gabriel had decided to fly off, there was little Sam could have done about it. “But you have to stick by me and not speak unless spoken to. We’re going to be seeing a few old gods and one wrong word and they _will_ eat you.”

“All right,” Sam said simply. He stood up, prompting Gabriel to as well. The archangel sighed and reached for Sam’s forehead, quite a stretch for him. Sam leaned down a bit to make it easier for the archangel, marvelling at himself. He was extending a level of trust to the archangel that was reserved for Dean and Bobby, before the older hunter had died. Cas had his trust as well, though Sam had learned to take what the angel said with a grain of salt, considering the history they all shared.

Between one breath and the next, Sam knew blackness and then they were standing on an empty street in an unfamiliar city. None of the signs were in English and Sam started shivering in the cold.

“Sorry, kiddo,” Gabriel apologized, unfazed by the cold. He snapped and a warm coat wrapped itself around Sam. “There you go.”

“Where are we?” Sam asked, nodding his thanks.

“Oslo, Norway,” Gabriel told him, looking around curiously. “This is where Thor hangs out when he’s taking some time off from being a god.” Gabriel turned his head, very much as if he’d heard a quiet voice, and started walking down an alley off the street.

“Thor?” Sam repeated, following the archangel. “ _The_ Thor? The Norse god?”

“Yep, pretty much,” Gabriel said absently, staring at the doors lining the alley. “Though he’s not as friendly as the myths make him out to be. Don’t say anything and don’t stare at him. He likes a fight and he won’t hesitate to kick your ass.”

“Wonderful,” Sam said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He almost ran into the archangel when Gabriel stopped suddenly in front of a door near the end of the alley. Gabriel stood for a moment, his eyes closed and breathing deeply. When he opened them, Sam saw the familiar grin of the Trickster that he first met. Gabriel knocked on the door and shot Sam one more warning glance before it opened.

“Loki,” the man in the doorway said. Sam studied him, wondering if this was Thor. He was very tall, taller than Sam himself, with blond hair cut short on his head. The guy was wearing black leather pants and a white poet-style shirt. He eyed Sam for a second before turning his attention back to Gabriel.

“Thor,” Gabriel greeted, nodding just slightly at the tall man. “How are you? Can I come in?”

“No tricks,” Thor warned, stepping back and allowing Gabriel and Sam into the building. They stepped into a small, studio apartment and Sam stood awkwardly behind Gabriel as Thro shut the door. “I have been well. What are you doing here? We didn’t particularly part on the best of terms.”

“You’re still angry about that?” Gabriel asked, sighing and shaking his head. “It was five hundred years ago. Let it go. And I need to know where Oracle is.”

Thor glared at Gabriel for another moment before turning away and sitting down on the couch against the far wall. Gabriel followed and flopped down onto a chair. The archangel waved a hand at the other chair, telling Sam silently to sit down. Thor waited until they were all seated before speaking.

“Oracle is wherever he wishes to be,” Thor said evasively. He turned to Sam then, studying him more intently. “Who is this human you’ve brought, Loki? He is a fine specimen. And tall as well.”

“Off-limits is what he is,” Gabriel replied smoothly. “I don’t like sharing my toys, Thor, you know that.”

Thor laughed loudly, throwing his head back and crossing his arms over his stomach. Sam took the moment to glare at Gabriel, who just shook his head with a look of concern. Realizing that he actually was in a fair amount of danger here, Sam relented and turned back to Thor just as the god stopped laughing.

“Very well, Loki,” Thor said, panting a bit as he caught his breath. “But if you tire of him, send him my way. I could use the distraction. But needing to see Oracle can only mean dire news. What prompts this need, Loki?”

Gabriel sat back in the chair, snapping up a sucker that he proceeded to lick noisily. Sam wasn’t sure if he was playing for time, trying to annoy Thor, or just being an ass. Possibly all three. The god shifted on the couch, the laughter gone from his face. Annoyed Thor, check.

“It’s something important to me,” Gabriel finally said, looking down at the floor. He seemed to be feigning embarrassment, at least to Sam’s eyes. “Oracle is the only one who may have an answer. Please, if you know where he is, I would like to know.”

Thor stared at Gabriel, wondering what he could be planning. To Thor, the archangel was Loki, the Trickster God, the one with a grin on his face and a trick up his sleeve. But, at this moment, he looked serious and somewhat pained.

“Fine,” Thor said finally, rolling his shoulders as he sat forward on the couch. “But you owe me a favor, Loki. Two considering that I didn’t kill you for the prank you played last time.”

“Two favors,” Gabriel said instantly, nodding. “Where is he?”

“Oracle is in the United States,” Thor explained, his eyes going blank for a moment. “A place called Chicago.”

“Thank you,” Gabriel said formally, standing and bowing to Thor. He gestured to Sam, who stood quickly and moved with him to the door. “Two favors and you just need to call my name. Goodbye, Thor.”

The blonde man nodded and waved as Gabriel let himself and Sam out. Once the door was closed, Gabriel walked away quickly and Sam actually had trouble keeping up with him. When they were several blocks away, Gabriel turned to Sam and mojo’d them back to the cabin.

“That went better than I expected,” Gabriel said, finally relaxing. “We got out alive and he wasn’t all that interested in you.”

“What prank did you play on him?” Sam asked curiously, ignoring the dishes still in the sink by the simple expedient of sitting down on the couch. “Why was he so angry still?”

“I gave his favorite mortal their just desserts,” Gabriel explained, grimacing. “Back then, I was deep in the Loki persona I’d created for myself. I was not... kind.”

Sam digested that for a moment, studying the archangel as he paced the room. Whatever he had done in the past, he was back to the archangel he actually was. And Sam had forgiven him a long time ago for the things Gabriel’d done to him.

“So, Chicago?” Sam asked, letting the issue go. He felt a starburst of warmth in his chest when Gabriel smiled gratefully at him, the golden brown eyes lighting up.

“Yeah, but I think we should wait to go,” Gabriel said, looking outside. They hadn’t spent that long in Oslo, but night was already creeping in. “Oracle is a day person. He won’t appreciate someone turning up at night. He’s another being that you need to not talk to. Oracle will not hesitate to snuff out the life of someone who annoys him.”

“Fine, fine,” Sam said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “I was completely silent with Thor, wasn’t I?”

“That you were, Sammy,” Gabriel replied, leering at Sam. “Maybe we should find out how good you are at listening to other orders.”

Sam rolled his eyes to hide the little jump his stomach made, hoping Gabriel was staying out of his head. Though, honestly, the archangel would probably be as confused as Sam himself was. He wasn’t sure what he wanted here, didn’t even know what Gabriel wanted. Maybe the archangel was trying to atone for not helping earlier.

“How about we table that for now?” Sam finally said, earning another leer from Gabriel. “Travelling by Angel Taxi is exhausting. I’m going to go to bed. Good night, Gabriel.” Sam got up from the couch and headed to the small room at the back of the cabin. He changed quickly and got ready for bed, sliding between the covers with a sigh. Waking up this morning, he had been a little surprised that he wasn’t stiff and sore but finally chalked it up to Gabriel’s influence. The bed was actually long enough for him and Sam stretched out, his eyes closing as his mouth opened in a yawn. And if it seemed colder and less comfortable here than on the couch, with Gabriel, well Sam could always consider that tomorrow.


	4. Empty

Gabriel listened as Sam readied himself for bed, a magazine sitting across his lap in case the hunter came back out. Didn’t want to be caught listening, now did he? The swish of fabric told Gabriel when Sam was changing and he _did not_ think of the hunter naked. That could only lead places he was fairly sure neither was ready to go to yet. More cloth rustling and Gabriel knew Sam was getting into bed.

With a quiet snap, the magazine disappeared from his lap and Gabriel turned his head towards the bedroom. He didn’t need to to hear clearly, but it made him feel better. The cabin, and the couch, seemed empty without the warmth and weight of the hunter in the room. Gabriel clearly heard the sigh Sam let out, something that tempted him greatly to peek into the hunter’s mind. When he did, he felt the same emptiness he was feeling and couldn’t stop a small smile from breaking out across his face. As long as Sam didn’t hate him for his mistakes in the past, Gabriel believed he could win the Winchester over.

Gabriel felt the smoothing out of Sam’s mind as he fell asleep, the hunter’s mind a warmth against his own. Withdrawing carefully, Gabriel flung his legs over the couch and sighed. He laid one arm over his eyes as he stretched back against the arm, finally letting himself feel the fear and concern he’d held back the whole time they’d spent with Thor. When the god had noticed Sam, made a play for him, Gabriel swore he could feel his borrowed heart stop.

Swearing silently, something Gabriel had come to enjoy once he ran away from Heaven, he took several deep breaths and reminded himself that Sam was safe and asleep just a few feet away from him. That Thor had backed down and left Sam alone. Once he was calm again, Gabriel lifted his arm from over his face and stared at the closed door to the bedroom. He could hear Sam shifting restlessly and wondered if the hunter was always like that when he slept. Deciding that Sam wasn’t going to be waking up, barring something unfortunate finding them, Gabriel closed his eyes and fell into a trance that looked like sleep. While he’d learned to sleep, and enjoyed it immensely, Gabriel didn’t want to let his guard down that far.

While he rested, the archangel played the night before over in his mind. Sitting with the hunter, guarding him, had started to fill an emptiness in him that Gabriel had almost forgotten about. And when Sam had held his hand, rather than pushing him away as he stroked his chest, that emptiness went away almost completely. In the darkness, all alone with his thoughts, Gabriel could finally admit to himself that he had fallen for Sam. Hard, if his protective feelings were anything to go by.

A warmth spread out over his chest as Gabriel focussed on the moment Sam twined their fingers together last night. It helped dispel some of the chill that Gabriel felt without Sam near him. He passed the night on watch, replaying the times he’d spent with Sam in his mind to keep himself occupied. A few hours after dawn, Gabriel heard Sam shuffling around in the bedroom. He stood and stretched, then walked into the kitchen to smile at the dishes Sam still hadn’t done. Snapping, the dishes were cleaned and breakfast was set up on the table. Gabriel sat down with a glass of orange juice to wait for Sam to come out.

“Morning, Sasquatch,” Gabriel said brightly as soon as Sam opened the door. “Breakfast!”

He proceeded to pile his plate with waffles and eggs, covering the lot in syrup and whipped cream. Sam grimaced at the sugar overload and filled his own plate with eggs and fruit. He debated again, staring at the mess on Gabriel’s plate before grabbing waffles of his own.

“Morning,” Sam finally said, his brain finally awake enough to form coherent speech. He’d always been a morning person but these past few days had been difficult. And he hadn’t slept well at all last night. He kept rolling over, one arm flung over the empty part of the bed, hoping Gabriel would somehow be there. “So, do we go after Oracle today?”

“We do,” Gabriel said around a mouthful of waffle and syrup. “And you need to remember, no talking while we’re there. Do everything I tell you without question or hesitation. If we’re very, very lucky, Oracle won’t catch on that you’re a Winchester.”

Sam tilted his head to the side, reminiscent of the move that Cas had done every time Dean made a pop culture reference. The fact that he was a Winchester would get him killed by Oracle? And if the god knew everything, wouldn't he already know that? But before Sam could open his mouth to ask those questions, Gabriel interrupted him.

“Yes, it’s possible he knows you’re a Winchester already,” Gabriel said, holding up his fork to forestall Sam’s questions. “And yes, considering what you and your brother do, and who you’ve killed up to this point, that would get you killed. However, I’m hoping that Oracle won’t think of that or that he won’t care. It’s hard to tell with him sometimes.”

“Are you in my head?” Sam asked curiously, though with a touch of anger. “And if we’re asking him how to get Dean and Cas out of Purgatory, wouldn’t he figure out who I am anyways?”

“I’m not in your head,” Gabriel said, neglecting to tell Sam that he was last night. “I really don’t know how to approach him with the question. I’m hoping he’ll think I just want to rescue Castiel and that Dean is going to be coming to because he’s attached to my brother.”

“You think that’ll work?” Sam asked skeptically, rolling his eyes.

“I don’t know,” Gabriel admitted, eating more of his waffle. “Eat up. Dishes are yours to do again.”

Sam snorted with laughter, rolling his eyes again as Gabriel dumped more syrup on his waffles. He noticed that they were eating off the same plates as yesterday, so Gabriel had indeed done the clean-up for breakfast this morning. He felt the emptiness inside him ease a little bit as he sat with Gabriel and the pain of losing his brother and friend faded slightly under the force of the archangel’s golden brown gaze. He ate slowly, savoring the food that Gabriel had summoned. Again, Sam marvelled at it; this breakfast was far better than diner food. When he was done, Gabriel snapped again and the dishes moved to the sink.

“You ready?” Gabriel drawled, licking at a candy cane he’d summoned while Sam ate. Sam nodded and Gabriel took his hand rather than pressing two fingers to his forehead. Smiling, Sam squeezed lightly before Gabriel moved them to Chicago. Sam recognized Grant Park from the several times they’d come to Chicago. He didn’t drop Gabriel’s hand as he looked around and Gabriel smiled fondly at him.

“So, where to now?” Sam asked, turning to Gabriel and finally taking his hand back.

“Give me a second,” Gabriel replied, closing his eyes. “Now that I know a general location, I can sense where Oracle is.”

Sam stayed silent, alternating between staring at the archangel’s face and looking around the park. It was fairly deserted since it was early and most people were at work. Every time he looked at Gabriel, his fingers itched to take his hand again. Sam shook off the feeling, trying to forget about it. He was fairly certain that the night Gabriel watched over him was a fluke, some sort of sympathy from the archangel.

“Got him,” Gabriel announced suddenly, his eyes snapping open. “He’s about 8 blocks from here in an apartment building.”

Sam waved a hand for Gabriel to lead the way and he followed after the shorter man. They walked quickly, the sunlight shining down on them warmly. And Sam firmly did not notice how the light brought out gold highlights in Gabriel’s tawny hair. No he did not. Gabriel stopped in front of a four-story apartment building and rang the bell for an apartment on the third floor.

“Yes?” a deep voice asked imperiously.

“We’re here to see Oracle,” Gabriel replied, keeping his voice respectful. “My name is Loki.”

“Come upstairs,” the voice said followed by a harsh buzzing noise. Gabriel opened the door, shooting Sam a warning glance to remind the hunter of what he’d said earlier. Sam rolled his eyes but nodded, following after the archangel. They walked up the stairs in silence, Gabriel pulling on the Trickster persona he’d worn for millennia.

Once on the third floor, a door about halfway down the hallway opened. Gabriel walked in without hesitation, his face in a smirking grin. Sam followed, his shoulders hunched automatically as he felt the power emanating from the beings inside. This was not somewhere he would have come voluntarily without a lot of weapons and back-up.

“Sit,” a voice commanded, the same that had answered the bell outside. Gabriel sat down and waved at Sam to sit near him. Once the hunter was seated, a white-haired man walked out of the hallway to sit in the large armchair in the corner of the room. “I know you are Gabriel. And you, you are Sam Winchester.”

Sam’s eyes widened as the man spoke his and Gabriel’s name, worry coursing through him along with adrenaline. He shifted on the chair, preparing himself to run if need be. Gabriel dropped the smirk and squared his shoulders in the chair.

“There is no need to fight,” the man said, raising a hand to forestall both of them from moving. “I know who both of you are and I know why you are here.”

“Does that mean you know how we can open Purgatory?” Sam asked, hope welling up inside him. He gave Gabriel a contrite look as the archangel hissed at him but he couldn’t have stopped the question.

“Don’t worry, Gabriel,” Oracle said. “I have no desire to hurt either of you. And yes, I know a way to open Purgatory to rescue both of your brothers. The problem is what is involved.”


	5. Love

"What's involved?"

"Why would you want to help?"

Sam and Gabriel spoke at the same time, the younger Winchester slowly losing the fear Gabriel's words had instilled in him. He was willing to do just about anything to get Dean and Cas back, but Gabriel was far more skeptical. The archangel had never known Oracle to help without getting something in return.

"I'll answer your question first, Gabriel," Oracle said, a small smile dancing on his lips. "It is, by far, the easier one. I want to help because the balance of the world has been thrown off. Getting Dean Winchester and Castiel out of Purgatory will help right it."

"Thrown out of balance?" Gabriel repeated, his brows furrowing as he thought. "I didn't think anything short of a massive cataclysm could do that."

"Two living souls in Purgatory is enough of a cataclysm," Oracle replied dryly. "That place is not for the living. Only for the souls of the dead of Eve's children. Dean and Castiel's presence is like a gaping wound that will not heal until they are gone from there."

"So how do we get them out?" Sam asked, pouncing verbally. He was rapidly losing his patience; he didn't really care about the world's balance. He just wanted his brother and friend back.

"There are several rituals that must be performed," Oracle explained, turning his ageless eyes to Sam. "These rituals require several rare ingredients that can only be obtained by a god or an archangel. Luckily, you have one of each on your side in this. The last ingredient is by far the most important and, sometimes, hardest to obtain."

Oracle sat back in his chair, his hands tangled loosely in his lap. He could see impatience warring with caution in Sam's face and wanted to test the young hunter. What the boy did next would determine how much he himself helped Sam.

Sam wanted to snap at Oracle, wanted to scream at him to just tell him already. But he could see a measuring in the god's eyes and forcibly reined himself in. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam could see Gabriel watching him with fear in his eyes. Reminding himself of what the archangel had told him about Oracle, Sam took several deep breaths while formulating what he was going to say.

"All right," Sam finally said, his voice even which he was rather proud of. "Tell me what the last ingredient is. If there is any way for me to get it, I will."

Oracle continued to study Sam for several moments, ignoring Gabriel for the moment. There was determination in the hunter's eyes and a forced respect that Oracle could appreciate. Finally, to Sam's obvious relief, he nodded.

"Good, that is very good," Oracle said approvingly. "The last ingredient is simple: it is love. You need to love whomever it is that you want to escape from Purgatory."

Gabriel made a choked sound, drawing Oracle's attention back him. The archangel had a stunned expression on his face, his eyes wide. He'd known that there were ways of opening Purgatory, indeed Cas had used a spell to open the doors to swallow the souls, but this didn't sound like anything he knew.

"Just love?" Gabriel finally said incredulously. "Castiel didn't need love when he opened Purgatory in the first place. How is love going to help?"

"Castiel used a different spell and that started to upset the balance," Oracle said, a disapproving snap in his voice at Gabriel's words. "To get the hunter and the angel out safely and restore what was broken, we need to use a different set of rituals."

"I think I can handle love," Sam said, interrupting the argument that seemed to be brewing between the god and archangel. "What are the other ingredients we need?"

Oracle held out a hand and a piece of paper covered in writing appeared on it. He handed the paper to Gabriel and the archangel studied it. Feeling his mouth drop open, Gabriel looked up at Oracle and sighed.

"Really?" he asked, voice heavy with irony. "You need all these things to get them out?"

"Safely, yes," Oracle replied smoothly. "And doing these rituals guarantee that only those you wish to get out can get out. That's why love is so important in this ritual."

Sam met Gabriel's eyes, his own a wordless entreaty to see the list. The archangel handed it over, not surprised at the spark of warmth when their fingers brushed together. Though, Gabriel could tell that Sam was surprised to go by the faint touch of pink in his cheeks. Oracle looked on, seeing and knowing everything going on between the two. Which, honestly, could only help. If they trusted each other, the hunter and archangel would lean on each other during the ritual and further hone the spell that would pull Dean and Castiel out.

Looking over the list, Sam had to admit it was... comprehensive. The rituals required everything from goat's blood to a woman's tears to nightshade and citrine. The rituals themselves were fairly simple, it was just the ingredients that would be difficult to obtain. Taking a deep breath, Sam looked up and met Oracle's eyes again.

"Where do we start?" he asked simply.


	6. Battle

“We start with a battle,” Oracle told them, taking the paper back from Sam. He tapped one of the ingredients, which was then bolded on the paper. “You need to go find a vampire nest and get some of the teeth from the leader.”

“Vampire teeth?” Sam repeated, voice dry. He sighed and shook his head, wondering how quickly they could find a vampire nest. He wasn’t worried about actually dealing with the vampires, as long as Gabriel helped and didn’t just fly off. But at Oracle’s next words, Sam wasn’t sure what was going to happen.

“Gabriel, you need to obtain a few items on your own,” Oracle said, tapping the paper again. “Water from a holy spring and a flower from the Garden.”

“Is that all?” Gabriel snapped, glaring at the god. “I’m not exactly welcome in Heaven at the moment.”

“And who will be around to notice?” Oracle asked bluntly. Sam winced at the reminder of the rampage Cas had gone on when he had the Leviathans in him.

“What are you talking about?” Gabriel asked suspiciously. He hadn’t been paying any attention to anything other than healing and hiding out. Though a quick look at Sam’s face had him worrying. “Tell me.”

“It was... Cas,” Sam said hesitantly, rubbing a hand through his hair. “When he was possessed by the Leviathan he went up to Heaven. When angels didn’t bow to him as God, he... killed them.”

“ _What?_ ” Gabriel yelled, power crackling around him as the shock caused him to lose a bit of control. “How many of our brothers and sisters did Castiel kill?”

“I don’t know,” Sam admitted, sending him a sympathetic look. He wondered if it would be too much to reach out and pat his hand or something. At the sheer pain on Gabriel’s face, Sam decided to do it anyway. “I know some of the angels survived, but I don’t know how many.”

Gabriel reached desperately for the comfort Sam offered, turning his hand up and grabbing Sam’s. He twined their fingers together, ignoring the surprise on Sam’s face, and squeezed though he stayed mindful of his own strength. He didn’t miss the slight smile on Oracle’s face but let it go. That didn’t matter now; all that mattered was the family he didn’t even know he’d lost. He felt Sam’s thumb stroking over the back of his hand as he absorbed the knowledge and tried to deal with the pain.

Oracle let them sit quietly for several moments, watching as the threads of their fates gradually drew closer and closer together. When the threads twisted tightly, Oracle nodded to himself. Whatever else they planned, Sam and Gabriel would find it difficult to part after this. If they even wanted to. Gabriel got himself back under control, smiling at Sam before letting go of his hand. He took a deep breath and looked back at Oracle.

“And while I’m running around, what are you going to be doing?” the archangel asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I will be getting the items that only I can obtain,” Oracle explained, tapping the paper again. He frowned down at it and decided it would take far too much work to keep doing that for each ingredient. He concentrated for a moment and reorganized the list by ritual. “A stone from the heart of a dormant volcano and tears of the moon.”

“I guess that leaves research for me,” Sam said, wishing he had brought along his laptop. “I need to find a vampire nest.”

“I have a computer in the other room,” Oracle said, smiling at the hunter. “I know that makes it easier for you to find creatures.”

“Almost like you expected us and how this meeting would go,” Gabriel muttered. Though, he shouldn’t be surprised; Oracle did know everything, after all. The god nodded and stood up, motioning for Gabriel to do the same.

“We must hurry,” the god explained, speaking quicker. “We don’t have too much longer before the imbalance is completely irreversible. You will be able to speak with your hunter further later.”

“ _His_ hunter?” Sam asked but both beings disappeared before he could say anything else. He ran a hand through his hair again, wondering what Oracle knew. Hopefully, the god didn’t know the random thoughts that ran through his mind and was only basing his wording on the comfort Sam had given the archangel.

Sam got up and wandered through the room, looking for the computer the god had mentioned. He found it and sat down, grateful that it had a decent connection. Time to do what he was good at: research.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gabriel decided to get the water first, not quite ready yet to face what he was afraid he might find in Heaven. It wasn’t a part of him that he was proud of, but Gabriel could admit that he was a coward when it came to some things. Shrugging it off, he concentrated on finding a holy spring.

He flew to Oregon and settled on the edge of Crater Lake. There was no snow on the banks but the park was empty. A gentle wind stirred the crystal clear water but that didn’t stop Gabriel from seeing to the bottom of the lake. He snapped and summoned a glass bottle to fill. Stooping, Gabriel let the water fill the bottle until it was about an inch from the top. He capped it, stowing it in a pocket in his coat.

Bracing himself, Gabriel flew to Heaven. He appeared in one of his favorite places, a quiet meadow filled with wildflowers. The sun shone out of a blue sky but this place was no longer serene and beautiful. Gabriel choked back a sob as he saw the hundreds of ashed wings on the ground. The bodies had long since disappeared but the wings of his fallen brothers and sisters still remained burned into the grass.

“Father, where the hell are you?” Gabriel muttered angrily, tears blurring his eyes as he stared. Of course, there was no answer and the archangel pulled himself together to head to the Garden. It was still the same, a riot of plants and flowers and trees. Gabriel could feel a familiar grace and sought out the angel. Joshua was kneeling down, patting at the dirt underneath a bush.

“Hello, Gabriel,” Joshua said without turning. “Welcome home.”

“Joshua,” Gabriel said warily, studying the other angel. “How did you survive?”

“Simple,” Joshua replied, turning to smile at the archangel. “I avoided Castiel when he was up here. No one knows the Garden like I do other than perhaps God. What are you doing here?”

“I have to get a flower from the Garden,” Gabriel explained vaguely, looking around and wondering what kind of flower Oracle needed. The list hadn’t specified so Gabriel just decided to pick one. He wandered over to a bush and studied the pale yellow blooms. He plucked one and tucked it into his coat next to the bottle of water.

“It was nice to see you again,” Joshua said with a final pat to the ground. He stood, dusting the dirt from his hands. “We are too few now. You should come home more often.”

“Maybe,” Gabriel said, grimacing. “But I have some work to do. Take care, Joshua.” Before the other angel could reply, Gabriel took off and headed back to Oracle’s home. He could sense that the god was still away but Sam was in one of the other rooms. He materialized behind the hunter, muting the sound of his wings. Gabriel took a moment to study the normally alert hunter and had to smile as the fondness that flashed through him. Clearing his throat, Gabriel let out a laugh as Sam jerked around in the chair, arms up to fight.

“Relax, Sammy,” Gabriel said airily, snapping up an armchair and a bowl of chocolate-covered popcorn. “Just your friendly, neighborhood archangel. Found a nest yet?”

“I think so,” Sam replied, lowering his arms and studying the archangel. He looked... worn. “In Arkansas. You all right?”

“Just peachy, kiddo,” Gabriel lied. He gave Sam a hearty smile, hoping the hunter bought it. He didn’t want to talk right now. “So, Arkansas?”

Sam waved at the computer where an article about bodies turning up completely drained of blood was on the monitor. Gabriel read through it quickly then sent out feelers towards that section of Arkansas. He did indeed feel a vampire nest with about 15 of the creatures holing up near the town.

“No time like the present, right?” Gabriel said, holding out a hand for Sam. He felt a flush of happiness when the hunter took his hand with only a second’s hesitation. It was something that _this_ hunter was starting to trust him. They appeared outside a dilapidated warehouse where the windows had been covered over. Sam took a deep breath then reached for the knife he had forgotten.

“Damn it,” he muttered, glaring down at his hip. He hadn’t expected to need any weapons, hoping to present an unthreatening front. “Gabe, can you do anything to help me with this? I need a machete or something.”

Gabriel snapped and a machete appeared in his hands. It glowed in the light and was extremely sharp when Sam tested the blade on a thumb. He nodded his thanks and they eased into the warehouse. They found the vampires sleeping in hammocks in the main room. After a quick glance to make sure each was ready, Sam and Gabriel jumped into motion.

With two quick swipes, Sam beheaded the two vampires closest to him. Before any others woke up, Gabriel laid his hands on two foreheads and smote the vampires. By this point, the others were aware something was wrong and were waking up. Sam heard one approaching behind him and spun to swing at his neck. The vampire went down but kept Sam distracted long enough for another to grab him.

“Sam!” Gabriel yelled, smiting two more vampires. He raced to Sam’s side, praying to a father that wasn’t listening that he made it in time. Before the vampire could pierce Sam’s skin, Gabriel ripped him off the hunter and tore him apart. Sam didn’t waste time gawking just turned and went after another vampire.

After another few minutes of furious fighting, Sam took down the last of the vampires. He stood panting for a few seconds, trying to catch his breath. He heard a body hit the ground as Gabriel released his last vampire. It was now that Sam had a chance to think about what Gabriel had done. He’d never seen a look of pure fury like the archangel had worn when tearing the vampire apart. Suddenly, Sam wondered if the thoughts he’d been having about the archangel had been as one-sided as he believed.

“Here’s the leader,” Gabriel called, toeing the head of one of the vamps Sam had killed. “Come here, Sam. You need to cut his fangs out.”

Sam walked over and used the very edge of the machete to get at the fangs that were still hanging down from the vampire’s gums. He was glad they hadn’t retracted up into the gums; they would have been much harder to cut out. Finally, Sam had about half a dozen fangs. He wiped the blood on his hands off on his jeans, making sure to get none in his mouth or in an open cut. The last thing he needed was to turn in a vampire.

“Time to go,” Sam said tiredly. He held out his hand again, waiting for Gabriel to take it and flash them back to Oracle’s home. Maybe there, he could get a shower. They appeared in the living room and saw the god sitting in his chair with three stones in his lap.

“That’s what you needed?” Gabriel asked, pointing at the stones. Two of them appeared milky and pale with shapes shifting inside them. The other stone was black and pitted.

“It was,” Oracle nodded. “Did you get what you needed?” Sam and Gabriel nodded, pulling out their own contributions to the ritual. Oracle held out his hand and a large silver bowl floated from the other room to land in his hand. He put his stones inside and gestured for Sam and Gabriel to do the same with their ingredients.

Once everything was in the bowl, Oracle set it on the ground and everyone stepped back. With a few chanted words, a fire sprang up in the bowl and consumed the ingredients. As Oracle continued to chant, Sam focussed on Dean and Cas. He didn’t know if it was needed just yet but decided it couldn’t hurt. He stared into the flames and prayed this would work.

Suddenly, Dean and Cas’s image appeared in the flames. Sam gasped then clapped his hands over his mouth. He didn’t want to interrupt the ritual. He studied Dean, surprised at how worn the elder Winchester looked already. He seemed to be searching for something, running through a darkened forest. Sam felt his heart sink when he saw that Dean was covered in blood.

Cas appeared in another section of flames, crouching down and running his hands through a stream. The angel flinched and looked over his shoulder every few seconds, as if expecting something to leap out at him. Sam looked to Gabriel to see a worried expression on the archangel’s face.

Oracle’s chanting came to an end and the images disappeared. The god took a deep breath and sank down into his chair. He panted heavily for a few seconds while Sam continued to stare at the now-empty bowl.

“They are still alive,” Oracle said with satisfaction. “Good. This would not have been possible if they had been dead.”

“What now?” Sam asked, tearing his eyes away from the bowl and looking at Oracle.

“Now we wait and gather the materials,” Oracle replied. “And pray to whatever gods you think may listen that we do not wait too long.”


	7. Scythe

Something was chasing him yet again. Dean sighed and hefted the odd weapon he’d taken off the last monster to attack him. It looked like a shortened halberd, the blade made of something that looked like obsidian and the haft made of metal. He had spared a few moments after he’d killed the creature with it to wonder where it had come from. Wrestling the weapon from the creature, and Dean was beginning to suspect it was a vampire, had proved difficult but not impossible. Killing it by chopping it’s head off was fairly easy at that point.

But being the only living, breathing human in this god-forsaken wasteland was wearying. Dean picked up his pace, hoping to outrun whatever was after him. Dean had been surprised when one of the werewolves had looked at him sharply and hissed “You” a few days ago. Apparently, everything he and Sam had ever killed had found their way down here. The running footsteps behind him drew closer and Dean started looking for an easily defensible position to make a stand. He wasn’t getting away this time.

He found it, a slight roll in the ground off to his left that made a little hollow. He could keep his back to it and not worry about being attacked from that direction. Dean changed his path to run towards the hollow and settled into it nearly silently. He heard the creature’s beathing long before he saw it and held his weapon up. When it ran into his line of sight, Dean couldn’t believe who it was.

Gordon sniffed the air, his fangs extending down from his gums. He turned to the hollow to see Dean crouched inside it. A huffing laugh bubbled out of the hunter-turned-vampire, something that sent chills down Dean’s spine. Gordon stalked closer, his moves alien and his face alight with bloodlust.

“Dean Winchester,” Gordon growled when he was about five feet away from the hollow. “Never thought I’d see you again, boy. Must be my lucky day.”

Dean remained silent rather than engage in banter with the vampire. He kept watching Gordon’s movements, hoping to be able to give himself a few second’s warning when the vampire lunged at him. He’d known this a possibility as soon as he realized where Dick had taken them all when the Leviathan exploded. But this was the first time he’d run across someone he knew.

“I’ve been wondering what it would be like to eat you,” Gordon continued conversationally. “After the problems you and your brother caused me. Why don’t we find out how you taste?”

Without warning, Gordon lunged at Dean. Dean jabbed at Gordon’s face with his weapon, hoping to slow the monster down. He connected and the black blade sliced through Gordon’s eye and cheek. He screamed, one hand coming up to cover the wounds that were gushing blood. Dean followed up on the opportunity and swung the blade at Gordon’s neck. The obsidian blade was still extremely sharp and sliced through muscle and bone easily. Gordon’s head flew as his body dropped to the ground at Dean’s feet.

“That’s for trying to kill Sammy,” Dean muttered as he wiped the blade clean on Gordon’s clothes. He’d lost track of how long he’d been trapped here, looking for the angel that had disappeared on him. Dean could only think that the crazy had gotten to Cas and he couldn’t deal with the imminent fighting.

He continued running, hoping to find the stream that the creature before Gordon had mentioned. The kitsune, thankfully not Amy, had mentioned an angel camping out on the bank of the stream. Dean kept praying to Cas though without much hope as time ground on. The kitsune had also mentioned a portal when trying to bargain for his life, a portal that Dean could leave through. He’d gotten the location and then killed the kitsune, not wanting to have anything following him. Dean’s goal was to find that portal, but first, he had to find Cas.

A few hours later, Dean heard the trickling of a stream. His breath caught as he saw a figure in a tattered and dirty coat squatting on the bank, hands trailing in the water. Finally, _finally_ , he’d found the angel. Finally, he and Cas could get out of here.

“Cas!” Dean called, legs pumping as he ran towards the angel.

“Dean?” Cas called, his head jerking up. It had to be another prayer; there was no way that Dean could have found him. But footsteps behind him and Dean calling his name again caused Cas to turn.

“Dean? What are you doing here?” Cas asked, his head tilted to the side in the way that had become completely familiar to Dean.

“I’m here to find you,” Dean replied, breaking out in a wide grin. He walked forward and engulfed Cas in a hug, pressing his face into the angel’s neck. Dean’d had time to think, here where there were no expectations and the only important thing was Cas. He’d accepted a few things about his feelings and decided to not wait anymore. Who knows what could happen next.

“You shouldn’t have,” Cas whispered, not returning the hug though he dearly wanted to. His time here had allowed him to come to terms with the sickness he’d pulled from Sam’s mind. Cas had finally stitched himself back together. But he knew that this was dangerous; Dean couldn’t be with him if he wanted any chance at all to survive. One hand curled into a fist as Cas tried to gather the strength to leave again.

Dean could feel Cas tense and stepped back just enough to look into his face. Cas stared right back, his blue eyes locked on Dean’s green ones. This was something he was surprised he’d missed, the feeling of being completely examined and accepted.

“What are you talking about?” Dean asked, confused. This wasn’t going how he’d expected it to.

“Dean, I left because I’m being hunted,” Cas explained, making no move to get out of Dean’s embrace. “The Leviathan want me and they hunt me every second. You were safer without me. I need to go.”

“Hell no,” Dean snarled, his arms tightening involuntarily around Cas. “We work better together, Cas, I’m not letting you go again. And if they want to take a shot at us, I say let them. We took out Dick and we can do it again.”

While Cas looked sceptical, Dean just grew more and more determined. He _was_ going to make it out of here and Cas was going with him. Kicking and screaming if need be. He smiled again, softer this time, and waited until Cas smiled slightly back at him. Then, Dean pulled all the shreds of his courage together, leaned down, and pressed his lips to Cas’s lightly. He’d decided on the long search that he was going to get everything out in the open with the angel if it killed him.

When he pulled back, Dean couldn’t help the fond chuckle when he saw Cas’s eyes were still closed. The angel was barely breathing, his face a study in wonder. Finally, Dean stepped back and dropped his arms, releasing the embrace he’d kept them both in. Cas opened his eyes and stared at Dean, the wonder still there.

“Sorry if I surprised you,” Dean offered, shrugging. “But I just... ah... I guess... I wanted to let you know how... I felt.”

“That is... good,” Cas replied, the smile on his face growing bigger. But before they could say or do anything else, a big ball of black goo fell out of the sky and impacted in the stream beside them. Cas’s expression flashed to fear and worry and he grabbed Dean’s hand before running away as fast as he could. Dean looked back to see a human shape with a giant mouth forming from the ball of goo. Leviathan.

“Oh shit,” he muttered then forced his legs to move faster.

“Indeed,” was all Cas replied before devoting his breath to running. He would need it.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Sam was sitting in the same armchair he’d been in when he and Gabriel had first talked to Oracle, his laptop balanced on his knees. The god had kindly allowed them to stay here rather than having Gabriel fly in and out with both of them. It had been a few days since the ritual they’d performed that had shown Dean and Castiel to still be alive and Sam was itching to do something more.

“Got it,” Gabriel announced as he appeared in the living room. He dropped a burlap bag on the coffee table near the couch, the mouth opening to spill out rough, uncut citrines. The stones glittered dimly, not nearly as bright as they would be if they had been cleaned and faceted. Gabriel flopped down on the couch dramatically, one arm falling over his eyes. Sam rolled his eyes but felt a wave of fondness flow through him.

“Good, just waiting on Oracle now,” Sam replied, closing his laptop. He’d already gotten his own contribution to this ritual: freshly picked nightshade and a vial of tears from a woman. The tears were far more difficult to get. Sam’d had to get creative when he found a psychic willing to hear him out.

As if his name summoned him, the god appeared and dropped an old scythe on the table next to the citrines. It made a curious ringing sound that the stones seemed to echo. Sam studied the scythe curiously; it wasn’t the same as Death’s scythe but it looked similar.

“We have everything now,” Oracle said, looking over the ingredients on the table. “Thankfully, the reaper I spoke with agreed to loan me her scythe on a temporary basis. Hurry, we need to perform this ritual.”

Sam and Gabriel got up from their places, Sam getting the bowl that had been used for the last spell and Gabriel grinding up the citrines. Oracle placed everything in the bowl, laying the scythe on top last of all. Sam sat back down on his armchair while Gabriel stayed next to Oracle, studying the bowl. Oracle began chanting and flames licked up again. This time, the scene was of Dean and Cas together, running again.

Something was wrong, though. They both had stark terror all over their faces and both were running as if their lives depended on it. Which it obviously did when the Leviathan following them appeared in the flames. Oracle grunted in displeasure, his mouth turned into a frown at the creature. His chanting changed to something darker, more guttural. Sam felt the hair on his arms stand up as the air became charged.

Suddenly, the Leviathan stumbled as a wave of earth rose up and out from underneath his feet. Before he could get up, the earth covered over the Leviathan and then smoothed out as if nothing had ever happened. Dean and Cas looked back, their faces a study in relief as they saw they were no longer pursued. Sam watched as Dean and Cas hugged each other, a little surprised but not so much. There’d been instances he could remember....

He looked up to see Gabriel looking fondly at Cas. Sam could only imagine what it must have been like, hiding from family for millenia. Oracle stopped chanting and the flames died down, the images disappearing with them. He sat down suddenly, one hand covering his eyes.

“That was difficult,” he commented to no one in particular. “Your brothers have some very powerful enemies, don’t they?”

“They’re tasty,” Gabriel muttered, sitting down near Sam. “They are the only living beings there. Of course everyone and their cousin is going to be after them.”

“How many more rituals until we can get them out of there?” Sam asked, resting a hand on Gabriel shoulder in what was rapidly becoming a familiar gesture. He smiled when the archangel smiled at him.

“Two,” Oracle replied tiredly, looking up. “But it’s going to be a while before I can do anything. That spell to deal with the Leviathan tired me.”

He got up to leave then, letting the human and archangel have some time alone. Oracle could see them getting closer, incidental touches notwithstanding. They would need each other for the final ritual and the closer they got, the better it would be.


	8. Memory

“Come on, Sasquatch, I’m bored,” Gabriel exclaimed, bouncing on the end of the couch he was sitting on. Sam sighed as he looked up from his laptop. They had been here for about a week, waiting for Oracle to recover before they could perform the last two rituals. To be honest, Sam was surprised it was taking this long; the spell must have been more difficult than even the god had thought. Though neither the hunter nor the angel knew that Oracle was doing it on purpose.

“So go watch TV or something,” Sam replied, exasperated. “I’m trying to do some research here.” Though, for the past couple days, he’d been studying _Dante’s Inferno_ trying to understand Purgatory. But from the bits he’d seen Dean and Cas running through, Dante’s version was nothing like the version they were dealing with. He could really use a break.

“We should get out of here,” Gabriel continued, scooting over to Sam’s side and pouting up at him. “Let’s go, Sammy. Why don’t we go do something fun?”

Sam ignored the archangel, slowly closing his laptop and then stretching his arms above his head. Finally, he smiled down at Gabriel and nodded. Gabriel grinned and grabbed Sam’s laptop out of his lap. He set it down on the table, took Sam’s hand, then snapped. Sam felt his stomach drop, a feeling that had become familiar, and they reappeared on a beach.

“Where are we?” Sam asked curiously, not dropping Gabriel’s hand. Gabriel felt a warm shot run through him as he glanced down, surprised that Sam was keeping the contact. He squeezed Sam’s hand gently and looked around.

“We are on a stretch of beach on a small island in the Pacific Ocean,” Gabriel replied, smiling at Sam’s look of awe. “I thought a little vacation and some quiet would be good.”

Sam looked around the beach, noting that the sand was a shocking white. It was smooth and fine, glittering in the sunlight. The water crashing on the shore was a clear blue with a hint of green. Turning, Sam saw a veritable garden of trees and bushes, each containing some sort of edible fruit or vegetable. It was beautiful, calming, and surprisingly romantic. It was the last thing the Winchester would have expected from the archangel he’d come to know as the Trickster. And that thought brought on a deluge of memories.

Dean dying over and over again, from the craziest things. Months spent hunting and searching, praying for some sign of the Trickster who had killed his brother. Seeing the light fade from Dean’s eyes as he held him, killing vamps and werewolves and ghosts and what-all. Pushing a stake through Bobby’s back, knowing it was a trick and then doubting when the body didn’t disappear right away. Remembering the pure desperation when he finally confronted the Trickster, begging for Dean’s life again.

Sam pulled his hand out of Gabriel’s, his face shuttered and his body stiff. He had started to forget about the history he and Gabriel shared. Had wanted to forget the bad in the hope that he could have _something_ for his own. Sam walked away from Gabriel, down towards the lapping waves. Shaking his head at himself, Sam sat down and took off his shoes and socks. He let the water wash over his feet, thinking hard.

“What’s wrong, Sammy?” Gabriel asked, moving to stand behind the hunter but not touching him. He didn’t miss the look on Sam’s face, the cold and stern eyes. And he had a fairly good idea of what the hunter remembered. It definitely wasn’t his finest idea, trying to get Sam used to the idea of Dean dead. Gabriel definitely would have done things differently, now.

“What are we doing here, Gabe?” Sam asked quietly, the nickname slipping out. He railed at himself for starting to trust the archangel after everything he’d done. Much as he was interested, Sam felt it to be almost a betrayal of his brother to become anything more than wary allies with Gabriel. Even though he felt cold at the idea.

“Taking a break,” Gabriel replied, sidestepping the question Sam wasn’t asking. He settled down next to Sam, far enough away so that it didn’t seem like he was looming. Gabriel didn’t snap this time to make his own shoes disappear, knowing that it might spook Sam even more. “Don’t like the beach? We can always go somewhere else.”

“It’s a nice beach,” Sam admitted, glancing at Gabriel out of the corner of his eye. He could feel the warmth the archangel was emitting and wanted to curl up next to the smaller man. Sam felt so cold, always so cold. “But that’s not what I meant and you know it. Why are you really here? What do you have to gain?”

“Gain?” Gabriel repeated, staring at Sam in surprise. “I get my brother back and you get yours. Plus, I discharge a debt. What brought this on, kiddo?”

“A debt?” Sam asked, tilting his head to the side. “What debt? And memories brought this one. I remember when you were the Trickster and made me relive that Tuesday over and over again. I remember when you stuck me in TV Land and I was hit in the groin by a giant metal ball and had to go through a herpes commercial. Forgive me if I’m starting to doubt your intentions here.”

Gabriel laughed dryly, a sound that had no humor or joy in it. He knew that was going to come back and bite him on the ass. Idly, the archangel dragged a finger through the sand at his side, scratching out the words “Forgive me” over and over in Enochian. He was glad Sam couldn’t read it, a piece of his heart bared in the sand.

Sam watched, interested, as Gabriel traced sigils in the sand. He’d made a study of Enochian with Cas, when the angel wasn’t crazy, and thought he recognized what Gabriel was writing. It made his heart melt, actually. That finally convinced him that Gabriel wasn’t here for some sinister or crazy reason.

“I have to admit, I did things the wrong way back then,” Gabriel explained quietly, smoothing his hand over the sigils to clear them away. He started drawing again, still not meeting Sam’s eyes. “And I won’t be sticking you in TV Land any time soon, if that’s any comfort. To be completely honest...”

Gabriel trailed off, suddenly scared that he had said too much. He trailed his fingers through the sand, drawing nonsense squiggles around the Enochian. While he’d been talking, he’d drawn other words and laughed silently when he saw “I care for you”. Of course, it wasn’t a literal translation; English was such an imprecise language compared to Enochian. Glancing up, Gabriel saw Sam’s lips moving as his eyes dragged over the sigils. His own eyes widened as he realized he was wrong: Sam _could_ read what he’d written. Panicking, Gabriel swept his hand over the sand, obliterating the words.

“So,” Sam murmured after a few moments. “Did I translate those correctly? I think I do forgive you, even though I probably shouldn’t.”

Gabriel looked up hopefully, hearing a hint of fondness in Sam’s voice. The hunter probably shouldn’t forgive him ever, but Gabriel prayed to his absent father that Sam truly did. Gabriel inched his hand over, breath caught in his throat as he dared to rest it over Sam’s.The hunter didn’t pull away but did stiffen as if he wasn’t sure he wanted this.

“Sam, please,” Gabriel whispered, eyes serious as he met Sam’s. “I am truly sorry for what I put you through. I hope you forgive me and let me do this without overthinking it.”

Sam opened his mouth to speak but Gabriel leaned forward and pressed his lips to Sam’s before he could talk. Sam froze, his mouth still open as Gabriel moved gently against him. The only point of contact between the two of them was the hand on Sam’s hand and the lips on Sam’s own. After a few seconds, Sam pushed everything to the back of his mind and relaxed into the kiss.

Gabriel felt a thrill run through him when Sam relaxed and started kissing him back. One hand raised, not to push him away, but to cup his jaw and pull him closer. It was a start and Gabriel was overjoyed for it. They kissed on that beach, listening to the surf and the beating of their hearts. It was a peace that each would need during the next two rituals.


	9. Sacrifice

Oracle was waiting in the living room with a jar of viscous, red fluid. Gabriel was able to identify it as goat’s blood by the distinctive scent wafting through the room. The archangel wrinkled his nose as he and Sam sat on the couch, their hands firmly locked together. They had done more than kiss on that stretch of beach and several conclusions had been reached between them. Sam finally felt comfortable admitting his attraction to Gabriel and acting on it, though both had wanted to wait until their brothers were safe before doing anything more.

“I see you both have been getting along,” Oracle said blandly, a laughing glint in his eyes as he surveyed both of them.

“Yes we have,” Gabriel replied, just as blandly while Sam turned red and stuttered a bit. Gabriel squeezed Sam’s hand and smiled at him before continuing, “So, what’s with the goat blood? Other than adding a decidedly noxious fragrance to the apartment.”

“It’s a component in the next ritual,” Oracle explained, nodding at the jar. “I need a sacrifice from each of you as well. The ritual calls for a piece of a blood relation to whomever you want to pull from Purgatory.”

“A sacrifice?” Sam repeated, confusion and worry on his face. That word was never good when it came to the Winchesters. “What kind of sacrifice?”

“While it represents an essential part of you, the sacrifice itself should be fairly easy,” Oracle smiled. “From you, Sam, I will need blood. From Gabriel, I will need blood infused with his grace. That will provide a connection to your brothers and show your dedication to the ritual.”

Sam and Gabriel shared a look of pure relief; this was going to be simple. Sam sat up, shaking his hand loose from Gabriel’s and pulling out a knife. The bowl floated in from the kitchen and Oracle gestured for it to land on the table. Sam held his hand over the bowl and cut the palm of his hand, letting blood drip and fill the bottom of the bowl.

Once Oracle nodded, Sam tightened his hand into a fist to stop the blood flow. He stepped back, holding his knife out to Gabriel. The archangel looked pointedly at it until Sam withdrew it, grinning sheepishly. Holding his hand over the bowl, Gabriel’s palm started bleeding without any cuts made on it, a silvery white, shining power mixing with the red blood. He stepped back after the same amount of blood as Sam had given collected in the bottom of the bowl.

“Gimme your hand Sasquatch,” Gabriel said quietly while Oracle busied himself with the jar of goat’s blood. Sam held out his uninjured hand, wondering what Gabriel wanted. “The other one, kiddo.”

Sam did so and only jumped a little when Gabriel grabbed it and ran his fingers lightly over the still-slightly-bleeding cut. The blood flowed back into the cut and it sealed itself up, a slight itching causing Sam’s fingers to twitch. He smiled at Gabriel when the archangel swept his fingers over his palm again, needlessly. Gabriel grinned back, eyes full of promise.

“All right,” Oracle interrupted them, looking back up with a wry look on his face. “The components are mixed and I need both of you to concentrate again for the ritual to work.”

He waved the other two over, gesturing for them to stand over the bowl on the other side of the coffee table. They stood staring down into the bowl, waiting for the flames that had appeared during each ritual before now. Oracle starting chanting, a low, rolling language falling from his lips. Sam wasn’t sure but it seemed like each ritual was in a different language.

Flames shot up from the bowl, much higher than before. Dean and Cas were captured in the flames, walking somewhere with a determined look on their faces. They were walking quite close to each other, fingers brushing as their hands swung at their sides. If Dean and Cas had decided to do something about the tension between them, Sam could only feel happy for both. They really needed someone to lean on.

“They look tired,” Gabriel murmured quietly, eyes locked on the images in the flames. “I wonder how long they’ve been walking.”

“I don’t know,” Sam replied, shaking his head. “Maybe as long as we’ve been trying to get them out?”

Oracle’s voice rose slowly, each syllable being growled out as he continued to chant. Finally, he flung his hands towards the flames, some sort of energy flowing from his fingers and into the bowl. He finished the chant on a single, shouted syllable and the flames leaped in response before dying away.

Oracle sank down wearily into his armchair, sighing as he shook his hands. Sam saw that they were a bright red, as if burned. Sam settled on the couch, worry in his eyes as he watched Oracle.

“You all right?” he asked, pointing towards the red marks.

“Just a side effect of the ritual,” Oracle explained, resting his hands carefully on the arms of his chair. “The power I had to funnel into the bowl was difficult to contain.”

“I can heal you, if you want,” Gabriel offered, walking over to Oracle’s side. His hands hovered over the other’s, a slight white light emanating from them. Oracle held his up gratefully, wincing as Gabriel’s grace washed over him. The red marks slowly faded away and Oracle sighed again.

“Thank you,” the god said, inclining his head regally at Gabriel. The archangel grinned then flopped down on the couch next to Sam. He draped his legs over the hunter’s lap, ignoring the exasperated look Sam shot him.

“What are you, six?” Sam asked, shoving at Gabriel’s legs. They didn’t move and after a few moments, Sam gave up and rested his hands on Gabriel’s calves.

“You like it, kiddo, and you know it,” Gabriel smirked, wriggling his feet against Sam’s stomach and tickling him. “I can tell when people like touching.”

“Both of you seem to have resolved your... issues,” Oracle said delicately, a smile crossing his face. “That is very good. You will need to be very close for this final ritual to work.”

“Very close?” Sam repeated, head tilting to the side in a mimicry of Castiel’s confused expression. “What do you mean, very close?”

“I mean that you two need to trust each other,” Oracle replied, a booming laugh echoing around the apartment. “You need to care for each other greatly. When we perform the last ritual, you will need to support each other, be able to rely on each other to avoid getting fatally drained. What did you think I meant?”

“Never mind,” Sam grumbled, turning a bit red. He glared at Gabriel when the archangel laughed, knowing the places Sam’s mind had gone. “When will we be doing this last ritual?”

“I need to have all the ingredients within three days,” Oracle replied after a few moments. “There’s a full moon then and that will be the best time. However, along with the love that you two have for your brothers, the ingredients for this ritual will be the hardest to gather.”

“What do we need?” Gabriel asked wryly, rolling his eyes.

“We need a dragon scale, the bone of a righteous hunter to represent Dean, and angel feather to represent Castiel, and the scythe from the previous ritual,” Oracle explained. “The bone and the dragon scale are the most difficult parts.”

“I hate dragons,” Sam sighed, remembering a hunt a couple years ago where dragons were kidnapping virgins. “Where do we find the bone of a righteous hunter? Most are cremated to avoid becoming ghosts.”

“Difficult, you see?” Oracle smiled, his eyes drooping. He got up and headed to his room, intent on sleeping off the effects of the ritual. As he heard Sam and Gabriel talking quietly, he nodded to himself. As long as they could gather all the ingredients, they should be able to perform the ritual and stop the universe from imploding.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

“We need a rest, Cas,” Dean said tiredly, fighting back a yawn as he scanned the trees around them yet again. They hadn’t been attacked for a few hours now and Dean could only hope that meant that any monsters had lost their scent. Or whatever.

“No, we can’t,” Cas argued, shaking his head as he walked determinedly on. “If we stop, that will make it easier for Leviathan to find us.” He looked back over his shoulder, seeing Dean fall behind, and stopped to wait for the hunter. Cas wavered on his feet, though he fought to stay upright. Which was something Dean didn’t miss.

“We both are on the verge of passing out from exhaustion,” Dean said, grabbing Cas’s arm and helping hold both of them up. He pointed off to their right, Cas’s head turning slowly. “There’s a small mountain range over there, probably be some caves. We can hole up in one and get some sleep before looking for the portal.”

There were indeed mountains in the distance and it seemed as good a place as any to find shelter. Cas nodded and they headed slowly in that direction, still hanging onto each other. This had happened often over the past several days; little touches that both were disinclined to give up. They never seemed to happen without another reason behind it, such as Dean holding Cas up, but neither willingly let go.

They made it to the mountains without being attacked and found a small cave to rest in. It was barely big enough for both men to fit inside and lay flat. Dean dropped to the ground, groaning softly to himself as he stretched out on the cold stone. Cas, too tired to keep watch, stretched out next to Dean. In unspoken accord, they turned to each other and wrapped their arms around the other. Their shared body heat soon stopped their shivering and Dean pressed a light kiss to Cas’s lips.

“We have to be almost there,” he said quietly, trying to cheer both of them up even a little bit. “We’ve been walking for days and I would think no monsters would be near the portal.”

“We don’t know for sure, Dean,” Cas sighed, closing his eyes and tucking his head into Dean’s shoulder. Suddenly wanting to be closer to Dean, Cas twined their legs together. He nuzzled into Dean’s neck, smelling the distinct gunpowder and whiskey smell that he had long associated with the hunter.

“No we don’t,” Dean agreed, smiling fondly as he stroked his fingers through Cas’s hair. He was enjoying this and swore if anything attacked them, he’d make it wish it had never been born. Dean had never seen Cas so relaxed and calm. “But, for once, I’d like to be optimistic. Sleep, Cas. You’ll be safe here.”

Cas nodded and kissed Dean’s pulse point, going completely limp against the hunter. He hadn’t rested or slept since coming here, always on the run from Leviathan. His breathing slowed as sleep overtook him and the last thing Cas heard was Dean humming a song he recognized as Hey Jude.


	10. Jar of Dirt

Dean woke slowly and comfortably, his head nestled against soft and warm curls. He smiled to himself as a familiar scent reached his nose. Cas. Stretching carefully to keep Cas from waking up, Dean looking down at the angel in his arms. His eyes were closed, the bright blue eyes shuttered. Dean was grateful nothing had attacked them while they slept, not just for the safety it afforded them, but for being granted this sight. It was something he was going to remember for the rest of his life.

As Dean brushed his fingers over Cas’s cheek, smiling a bit as his stubble rasped against the fingers, Cas’s eyes opened and met Dean’s. The angel smiled up at Dean and captured the hand on his face. They stared at each other, green meeting blue, and several timeless moments passed. Finally, Dean leaned forward and kissed Cas. He lingered, lips gently moving against the other’s.

“Morning,” Dean murmured, chuckling. “Maybe. It’s hard to tell. You feel up to continuing?”

“Yes, I think so,” Cas replied thoughtfully, eyes crinkling as he laughed silently. “We need to find that portal. I can only imagine what’s after us still.”

Dean kissed Cas one more time then carefully untangled their limbs. They’d inched closer to each other in their sleep until they were so close it looked like they were almost one person. Once free, he stretched again and worked his way out of the cave. Watery sunlight filtered through the trees and it was silent and still. Since they’d first come here, Dean had seen no animals. To be honest, it was a little creepy. Other than the obvious creepy, of course.

Cas followed him out and stood yawning at Dean’s shoulder. The angel looked around, his eyes curiously unfocused. Dean waited somewhat impatiently, not wanting to interrupt in case Cas was doing something important.

“I feel something in that direction,” Cas explained, pointing as his eyes snapped back into focus. “It might be the portal.”

“Then we should probably go,” Dean sighed, rubbing his stomach as it grumbled. There was no food nearby and they couldn’t waste time searching. Dean started off in the direction Cas pointed, the angel close behind him. Before they had walked ten steps, the earth exploded to their right. Dean took one look at the black goo oozing out of it before taking off. He knew what it was that had found them and they didn’t have much time. Leviathan was here.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Sam was sitting and researching on his laptop getting more and more frustrated. Since they’d taken out Eve a few years earlier, most of the rarer monsters had gone completely underground. Though he knew what to look for, there were no sightings of possible dragons nor even a hint that they still existed. He glared at Gabriel across from him as he closed out of another news article. The archangel was perched on the edge of the couch, a glossy brown feather and the reaper’s scythe in his hands. And he was playing with them, pretending one was hunting the other. By now, about an hour since Gabriel had started, Sam was in a very bad mood.

“You mind doing that somewhere else?” Sam finally snapped, closing his laptop with a frustrated sigh. “It’s annoying.”

“Poor Sammy,” Gabriel singsonged, making the feather chase the scythe in bouncing jumps above Sam’s head. “Can’t find what you’re looking for?”

“Not all of us have the ingredients sticking out of our backs, now do we?” Sam grumbled. He put his laptop on the coffee table then stretched out as much as he could over the couch. Ever since he’d reached his full height, Sam had gotten used to not quite fitting on furniture. Draping an arm over his eyes closed out the light and the sight of Gabriel now making the scythe chase the feather and slice at it. Hopefully, the action would make his headache go away.

Gabriel continued to act out death scenes with his props, adding sound effects now that Sam was covering his eyes. He was _bored_ and there wasn’t much at all for an archangel to do. So, of course, Gabriel took all of his boredom out on Sam. The hunter was getting angrier and angrier, taking deep breaths and trying not to snap again. He’d just reached the end of his patience when a small _pop_ of displaced air echoed around the apartment. Oracle appeared holding a pickle jar filled with what looked like dirt, stopping the very angry and pointless argument Sam was about to start.

“You have a jar of dirt,” Sam said blankly, sitting up to look at Oracle.

“I have a jar of dirt,” Oracle agreed, setting it carefully on the coffee table near Sam’s laptop. “Sort of.”

“Care to explain that, Captain Sparrow?” Gabriel asked, finally putting down the feather and scythe. Sam chuckled and flashed Gabriel a smile, most of his anger from before gone. Oracle just shook his head and sat down in his chair, running a hand over his face.

“That would be the remains of a righteous hunter,” Oracle explained, waving at the jar. “The spell doesn’t say what condition the bone has to be in, so cremated should work.”

“Who did you get?” Sam asked, the words awkward. Though there wasn’t really a graceful way to ask and he was really curious.

“Now, that was the interesting part,” Oracle temporized, lacing his fingers in his lap and staring at the jar contemplatively. “There are many good hunters and there are some bad hunters. Nearly all had been cremated. But I believe I found the best person I possibly could. His name was John Winchester.”

Sam stopped breathing, turning his head slowly to stare at the jar that held the remains of his father. At least according to Oracle. The last time he’d seen John, the man had been a ghost who’d just crawled out of an open door from Hell. The eldest Winchester had distracted Azazel long enough for Dean to kill the demon who had killed their mother. One hand lifted towards the jar, hovering in midair as Sam stopped himself. He and his father had fought often though had come to some common ground near the end.

“That would be a righteous hunter,” Gabriel said softly, laying a hand on Sam’s shoulder. He could tell how hard it was for the hunter. “I’ve never heard of anyone lasting as long as he did in Hell. John is an excellent choice.”

Nodding, Sam pulled his hand back and rested it over Gabriel’s on his shoulder. Dean would never know but he really needed the connection and comfort right now. Sam had thought to never see any form of his father again. Counting in his head, Sam realized they had everything now but the dragon scale.

“Oracle, do you know where we can find a dragon?” Sam asked, his voice hoarse but solid. “I’ve got nothing and the scale is the last piece we need.”

Oracle closed his eyes and concentrated, accessing the power that allowed him to know everything he did. After searching for a few minutes, a slow grin spread across his face. Sam took that as a good sign and leaned forward eagerly. Finally, Oracle opened his eyes and nodded.

“There is a dragon nearby in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery,” the god said thoughtfully, his head tilting to the side. Sam thought that the action must really be a supernatural tic because really? Almost everyone did it. “It’s in Worth, one of the suburbs south of here.”

“I thought dragons liked caves and sewers and things,” Sam muttered, confused. “Last time Dean and I dealt with them, they were living in the sewers and kidnapping virgins. What gives?”

“This dragon is not the same you’re accustomed to,” Oracle said tiredly, drooping in his chair. Sometimes accessing the information he needed made him far more tired that the information might warrant. “She’s more of a... traditional dragon. Think mythology and not hunter lore. Take this with you. You might be able to bargain for a scale.”

Oracle held up his hand and a large golden chalice the size of Sam’s head appeared in it. He handed it to Gabriel, the angel whistling in appreciation as Sam goggled at it. He’d never seen so much gold in one place before. Holding one hand out to Sam, Gabriel waited until Sam tangled their fingers together before poofing them to the cemetery. They stood inside the gates, a white stone wall leading off from the black metal. Now that he knew there was a dragon here, Gabriel could sense the power she was radiating from one of the mausoleums.

“This way,” Gabriel told Sam, not letting go of his hand. Sam nodded and followed the archangel, studying the cemetery as they walked. It was actually quite beautiful and peaceful, the headstones and other memorials rising gracefully from the grass. They headed to an older portion of the cemetery filled with different-sized stone mausoleums. Gabriel stopped in front of one massive one, the door slightly ajar.

“This is going to be interesting,” Sam said, fighting back the fear. “I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a supernatural being that was anything like the mythology of them.”

“Well, it’ll be a learning experience,” Gabriel replied bracingly, throwing a cocky grin at Sam. “C’mon kiddo. Let’s beard the dragon in her den.”

Sam laughed and they slipped into the mausoleum. Inside, instead of a singular room as Sam expected, a set of wide stairs had been dug into the earth. They headed down into darkness, a soft glow emanating from Gabriel so they didn’t trip.

“Who enters my home?” a voice hissed from the shadows as they reached the bottom. “Who dares bother me?”

“We come in peace,” Gabriel said, causing Sam to snort. “I bring tribute and ask a boon.”

“Tribute and a boon,” the voice repeated, coming closer. A large shape walked into the light cast by Gabriel. The dragon had taken the shape of a tall, black-haired woman with black skin. Her eyes glowed red and light gleamed off her skin. Sam looked closely and saw that her skin was actually a multitude of tiny, black scales rather than flesh. She was beautiful in a frightening and intimidating sort of way. “What would you offer and ask?”

Gabriel held up the chalice and the dragon’s eyes widened. Her tongue flicked out, long and forked at the end, as if she was tasting the gold. When she gave a sharp nod, Gabriel handed her the chalice. The dragon made it disappear with a soft smile. Sam stepped forward at that point, remembering an old myth that a mortal was the one who bargained with dragons.

“The boon is a scale,” Sam told her bluntly. “We need a dragon scale for a spell to pull our brothers out of Purgatory. Would you give one to us?”

“A scale? That is rather personal,” the dragon said. “And how do I know that you wouldn’t seek to harm me, the great Ilufyra, with something so personal?”

“Will you accept my word?” Sam asked curiously. “I only want to rescue our brothers.”

“I just might,” Ilufyra said, stalking forward and staring deeply into Sam’s eyes. He tried not to flinch away as she overtopped him by several inches. “You have strength and honor, human. I will honor your request on one condition: you play a game of riddles with me.”

“Done,” Sam said immediately while Gabriel rolled his eyes. So what if the dragon was taking a page out of the Hobbit. “Would you like to go first?”

“So polite as well,” Ilufyra breathed, nodding in thanks. “What walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening? Oh, and your angel may not answer. This is between you and me.”

“Man,” Sam replied without hesitation, knowing the riddle. “That is fine with me. Thirty white horses on a red hill. First they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still.”

“Teeth,” Ilufyra growled. “Why don’t you give me something a little more difficult? What can you catch but not throw?”

That question threw Sam. It wasn’t from The Hobbit, as the previous couple had been. He repeated the riddle to himself a few times, trying to ignore Gabriel as the archangel started shuffling impatiently. Ilufyra grinned, her eyes gleaming brighter.

“A cold?” Sam hazarded, hoping that was the answer.

“Indeed,” Ilufyra nodded, the gleam fading a little bit. “Ask.”

“When you have it, you want to share it. When you share it, you no longer have it. What is it?” Sam asked, remembering his favorite riddle from the time he’d caught Mirrormask late at night. It had stumped the Sphinx in the movie so maybe it would do the same here? Ilufyra glared at him then started prowling around the shadows. Sam could hear her whispering the words to herself, trying to figure it out. Finally, she whipped around to glare at Sam, one hand dragging over the back of the other. With a dry rip, a scale came away in her fingers.

“I concede,” Ilufyra rumbled loudly, handing the scale to Sam. “What is the answer?”

“A secret,” Sam replied, taking the scale and putting it carefully in a pocket. “Thank you for this.”

“You are welcome,” Ilufyra replied, her voice lowering. She crossed her arms over her chest and studied Sam, a slight smile coming to her face. “I enjoy you, human. You are polite and well-mannered. I would welcome your return, should you need to.”

“Thank you, Ilufyra,” Sam replied, bowing slightly. He stepped back towards Gabriel until he could take the archangel’s hand. With a final nod, they headed back to Oracle’s apartment. Once there, Sam let out an explosive breath and collapsed on the couch. He pulled the scale out of his pocket and placed it carefully next to the jar.

“I see you were successful,” Oracle said blandly as he watched.

“We were. And I’m glad to have survived,” Sam replied while Gabriel nodded. Even though he was an archangel, Ilufyra could have seriously hurt him. “But we have everything now. We just need to wait and hope Dean and Cas can survive until then.”


	11. Needles

They’d been running for what felt like a couple miles, the Leviathan steadily gaining on them. The portal was nowhere in sight and Dean knew that they were going to have to turn and fight. There was no way they were outrunning the Leviathan. With Cas panting hard at his side, Dean doubted they could have even if both had been in the peak of health.

“We need to fight,” Cas huffed, glancing over his shoulder at the Leviathan. “And soon before we are too tired from running.”

Dean nodded as Cas echoed his thoughts. They’d been on the same wavelength since he’d found the angel by that small creek. He’d found they often didn’t need to speak to communicate, even more than the intense stares had done when back on Earth. Dean saw a patch of raised ground ahead of them, barely a couple inches higher, and decided that that was where they’d stop.

When they reached the middle of the raised ground, Dean turned and pulled the halberd-like weapon from the improvised straps on his back. Cas merely stood quietly, chest heaving as he caught his breath next to Dean. The angel didn’t need any physical weapons though his distaste for fighting was clear. Even though Purgatory had worn the crazy out of the angel, Cas didn’t like fighting anymore. He would do it if needed but that was the extent of it.

“Dean,” Cas murmured, glancing sideways at the hunter as a warm smile pulled at his lips. Dean met his eyes, used to, now, the electric thrill that ran down his spine when he did so. Grinning, an expression that held no mirth and much danger, Dean shook his head.

“Dude, I know,” Dean told Cas, still grinning at the Han Solo reference. But Cas merely cocked his head, not understanding the joke he could feel Dean enjoying through their bond. That had gotten stronger as well while they’d been locked here, perhaps due to the fact that they could only count on each other. Sometimes, making a noise was enough to get you killed here.

Two more black blobs fell out of the sky, impacting and throwing up dirt near the rise Dean and Cas were on. There went any chance they would make it out of here alive. The two of them against three Leviathan was not a battle Dean thought they would win. But they had no choice and Dean hefted the halberd as he saw the needle-teeth of the first Leviathan.

The Leviathan was in the body of a man, his blond hair cut short and close to his head. As Dean squared his shoulders and pointed his weapon at the thing, he was shocked as it _leaped_ over his head to attack Cas. The angel wasn’t quite fast enough to deflect the monster and both fell to the ground. Dean let out a wordless scream and, completely ignoring the two Leviathan now running at him, sliced down at the guy’s back. The Leviathan screamed and flinched, allowing Cas time to wiggle out from underneath and get to his feet. After that, the other two reached them and both Cas and Dean fought for their lives.

Dean fought the blond Leviathan while Cas faced off with the other two. Black goo oozed from the wound on the guy’s back but he moved as if there was no damage. Dean circled warily, his weapon held ready between them. Without warning, the Leviathan charged him with a grin on his face. Dean stepped to the side just barely in time and cut with his halberd as the Leviathan passed. The guy dodged gracefully and turned. Dean followed, which gave him a clear view of the trouble Cas was in. But there was nothing he could do about it.

Cas was tired as he grappled with the other male Leviathan. This one was a brunette and had his mouth gaping open to show needle-like teeth. The third one, a redheaded female, was circling around the two waiting for an opening. Leviathan tended to fight each other just as much as their prey and the redhead didn’t want to brunette to take a chunk out of her. Concentrating, Cas managed to push enough of his grace through his hands to burn the Leviathan. As the monster howled, Cas reached up and ripped his throat out. It wouldn’t slow the thing down for long but it might be just long enough.

The woman pounced, seeing her opening. She landed with her arms wrapped around Cas’s neck and her feet digging into his stomach. Reaching back, Cas stopped the bite he knew was coming by pulling her hair and ripping her head back. But his strength was quickly failing. Sinking to his knees, Cas tried to buck the woman off. She held on, snarling and growling as she wrenched her head against his pull. Losing his strength completely, Cas sank to his knees. He looked up at Dean, wanting the hunter to be the last thing he saw in this godforsaken place. His heart broke at the fear and despair in Dean’s eyes as the hunter saw the Leviathan leaning down to bite at his spine.

But the bite never came. Salvation appeared in the form of a tall man in ragged clothing, his hair and beard so dark as to appear black. He ripped the woman off of Cas’s back and broke her neck. This gave Cas a moment to catch his breath as Dean finally got in a lucky hit on the first Leviathan and chopped its head off. The head went flying as Dean ran to Cas’s side, running his fingers over Cas’s neck to make sure the angel was okay. Quickly, he disposed of the other two Leviathan the same way then stared at their savior.

“Thank you,” Cas said, getting to his feet slowly. His voice was a bit scratchy from the grip the woman had had on him.

“Why?” Dean asked a second later, wondering why they weren’t fighting. This was the first person who had helped first not attacked.

“You looked like you could use some help,” the man replied in a southern accent. His voice was deep and smooth. “Name’s Benny, by the way.”

“Dean,” Dean replied shortly, still not putting away his weapon. He didn’t trust this guy, especially not after what he’d done to the Leviathan. Nothing human had that kind of strength. “This is Cas. Now, _what_ are you?”

“That is a whole other kettle of fish, isn’t it?” Benny laughed, deflecting the question. “I’m help and I need yours. You’re here to find the portal out of here, aren’t you? I know where it is.”

“How do you know that?” Dean snapped, suspicions completely aroused. He moved so that Cas was slightly behind him, enough that the depleted angel could run if this Benny proved to be a danger. “And what’s in it for you?”

“You help me get out,” Benny told him, shrugging. He kept his hands in plain sight, making sure Dean saw he wasn’t a threat. At least right now. “And everyone knows about the human and the angel here. You weren’t exactly quiet. Do we have a deal?”

Dean looked back at Cas, keeping Benny in his peripheral vision. The angel shrugged shallowly, still panting after their battle. He didn’t sense anything off about what the other man was saying. That and the heavy breathing convinced Dean that a third pair of hands might not be a bad thing; Cas was really weak.

“Fine,” Dean said, turning back to Benny. “But any move to betray us and I kill you. And you will tell me what you are. There are no other humans here in Purgatory. Especially not ones that fight like you.”

“Portal’s this way,” Benny said, gesturing off to their right. “About four days’ walk, if I remember correctly. And as for what I am, you’re right, I’m not human. I’m a vampire. Been here about fifty years. But you don’t have to worry about me attacking either of you. I need both of you to get out of here.”

Dean glared at Benny, hefting his halberd higher. A _vampire_? That was the last thing he needed. But a gentle nudge from Cas had Dean pausing. He thought it over carefully. If Benny had wanted to turn either him or Cas into his next meal, he could have done so easily while they were fighting Leviathan. Instead, he’d helped and was offering to show them the way out. Suspicions eased, Dean put the halberd away. He gestured for Benny to start walking, which the vampire did. He and Cas followed, their shoulders bumping from time to time as they walked.

“Why do you need us to get out?” Dean asked about half an hour later. He’d wanted to watch the vampire to make sure he wasn’t going to change his mind. By now, Benny really reminded him of Lenore, the vampire who’d taken to eating cows rather than killing humans. “What keeps you from leaving?”

“You need to be a human to get out,” Benny replied, looking back over his shoulder for a second. “Or an angel. I’m hoping to use a spell I learned to help me get out of here. That’s where you come in. I need to use you as a sort of vessel.”


	12. Golden

Dean hadn’t said anything right away once Benny had told them exactly what he needed a human or an angel for. He was fairly certain he would have snapped and declined, possibly adding a new enemy to the ranks already after them. Dean used the rest of the day to think, Cas a comforting presence at his side. As darkness fell, Benny led them to another cave set in the foothills of the same mountains Dean and Cas had taken shelter in the night before.

Dean checked the cave first since he had the most visible weapon. Cas waited outside, eyes nearly closed from exhaustion. Being trapped here, so far from the reach of the Host, was sapping his strength and there was no way for the angel to replenish his grace. Cas had kept himself quiet and calm for most of his time here but now he was using his grace and it was disappearing quickly.

“Clear,” Dean said shortly, coming back out of the cave and nodding to both Cas and Benny. He took Cas’s arm and led the angel inside the cave, settling them both down at the back with Cas in his arms. Benny raised an eyebrow at the sight but said nothing, mostly because of the glare Dean shot the vampire. He settled down near the mouth of the cave, not needing to sleep as much. Benny hadn’t slept more than a few hours a night even when he was human, so a night without sleep was no problem for him.

A slightly uncomfortable silence fell. Dean comforted himself and Cas by running his fingers slowly through the angel’s hair as he nodded off to sleep. It felt a little odd to be holding a sleeping angel; Dean knew the only times Cas slept were when he was so drained he had no other choice. The silence and Cas’s trust let Dean think objectively about Benny’s request. Finally realizing something that had hidden in subconscious for a long time, Dean laughed silently at himself. To rescue Cas, he would do anything.

“What’s involved?” he asked quietly, knowing Benny was still awake by the pattern of his breathing. “To get you out of here?”

Benny turned to face Dean, his eyes shining with hope. If the human was willing to help, he might finally, _finally_ , get out of this damned place. He reviewed the spell carefully in his mind, wanting to explain it as simply as possible to the hunter. It was strange and Benny knew how much of an invasion it would be for Dean. For any human, really.

“There’s a spell I learned a while back,” Benny explained, just as softly. Neither wanted to wake Cas, Dean because he cared and Benny because he didn’t want to piss off Dean. “It lets someone here use a human as a vessel to get out of here. Use a golden dagger to cut each person involved. A hand would probably be best as they need the cuts to touch. Something about the blood mingling starting the spell. Then I speak the words. I don’t exactly know what happens then, the person I was talking to didn’t know. All I know is that it turns you into a vessel I can use to get out of here.”

“Sounds legitimate,” Dean nodded. Blood magic was something he’d had experience with, usually used against him. It did make sense. But there was a problem and he was surprised Benny hadn’t mentioned it. “The golden dagger. I don’t have one and neither does Cas. Where do we get it?”

“I have one,” Benny replied, grinning as he pulled out a dagger. It flashed dully in the moonlight filtering into the cave. “I think the person I got this from was planning on using this himself. Unfortunately, _you_ are the first human here in... centuries, I’d guess.”

“Lucky for you,” Dean replied dryly, letting his fingers trail down Cas’s neck and back up. The skin underneath the angel’s hair was soft and Dean just revelled in the fact that he could touch now. Benny nodded and turned his head again, staring out into the darkness.

“Lucky for me,” the vampire repeated, so quietly as to be almost inaudible. They passed the night silently, Dean dropping off to sleep after a few hours. This cycle repeated for the next couple days and everyone was getting edgy as no monsters attacked. A heaviness started to permeate the air, almost like static electricity. Dean could tell they were nearing something but the portal was still nowhere in sight.

“This is close enough,” Benny said, turning to Dean and pulling out the dagger. “Would you like the honors first?”

Cas looked curiously at the dagger as Benny held it out. He’d heard about the ritual during their walk and agreed with Dean that it was legitimate. Especially after Cas had made Benny recite the spell to him and translated it for Dean. Dean took the dagger and sliced his palm before handing the dagger back to Benny. Dean smiled reassuringly at Cas while Benny sliced his own palm and cleaned the dagger on a pantleg.

“Ready?” Benny asked, waiting for Dean. Dean took a deep breath and clasped Benny’s hand, their blood mingling. Cas had reassured Dean that this wouldn’t turn him into a vampire as Benny was already dead. His blood wouldn’t have the same effect. Benny chanted the spell quickly, heat spearing between their hands. Dean gritted his teeth and held back the scream as Benny seemed to melt and be absorbed into him. With a final strangled groan, Dean fell to his knees as the cut on his hand healed. A red light appeared in his palm, pulsing gently.

“Dean?” Cas asked softly, resting his hands on the hunter’s shoulders. Dean shuddered as his body got used to the being residing inside him. There was a slightly annoying heat in his palm, generated by the pulsing red light.

“I’m good, Cas,” Dean replied, getting to his feet and smiling at the angel. “We’re almost out of here. Let’s go.”

They had almost made it to the portal when the world around them started to fuzz out. Dean stared around in alarm while Cas merely stopped and looked around. This twinged in the back of his mind but the angel couldn’t bring the thought out. Grabbing Dean’s hand, Cas ran towards the portal. That was their only way out, no matter what else might be happening here in Purgatory. They had to get out of here.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam watched as Oracle gathered all the ingredients and added them to the golden bowl sitting on the coffee table. The full moon had risen and the pale white light shined in the window. He took a deep breath as Oracle poured the ashes of John Winchester into the bowl. The feather and dragon scale followed and Oracle placed the scythe on the rim of the bowl.

“This is going to be a much more difficult ritual than the previous ones,” the god warned, glancing up at Sam and Gabriel. “I need you both to back up. I don’t want either of you caught in the backlash.”

“So that’s why you moved the furniture away,” Gabriel exclaimed, grabbing Sam’s arm and pulling him back. They stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, several feet away from where Oracle was standing. The rest of the living room was cleared except for the coffee table so that Dean and Cas would have enough space. Oracle nodded and closed his eyes, holding his hands palms down over the golden bowl. He started chanting, his palms glowing with power.

Sam listened as Oracle started the ritual, the language something sharp and spiky. It sounded as if Oracle was speaking each syllable individually. The air in the room grew heavier, the light seeming to splinter as the words filled the room. Gabriel hunched his shoulders, feeling a pull on his grace as Oracle used it to link to Cas as the god used John’s remains to link to Dean.

A blue-green fire roared up from the bowl, licking hungrily at the scythe balanced above it. The metal actually started to soften at the edges and drip down into the bowl, telling Sam and Gabriel exactly how hot the fire was. And that it was no natural fire. Oracle’s voice rose over each syllable until he was shouting. With a move like he was slashing something, Oracle snapped his hands out until his arms were straight out from his sides.

The fire blazed up higher, almost touching the ceiling as Oracle moved. Between one breath and the next, a whirlwind blew through the living room and nearly buffeted Sam off his feet. Gabriel wrapped him in his arms, the feathery feeling of his wings covering Sam’s head. Sam gasped and wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s waist, holding tightly to the archangel so that he didn’t get blown away.

“Where the hell are we?” Dean’s voice rang through the room once the wind died down. Sam snapped his head up from the shelter of Gabriel’s shoulder and wings, staring at his brother with shock on his face. Cas was standing next to the elder Winchester, their hands held tightly together. Dean’s eyes swung to look at Sam, widening as he saw the younger Winchester being held by Gabriel. “And what the hell are you doing, Sammy?”

“Dean,” was all Sam could say as he crossed the floor. He pulled Dean into a hug, relief making him feel lightheaded. Remembering their linked hands, Sam pulled Cas into the hug. Feeling tears glimmering in his eyes, Sam stepped back and smiled. “Welcome back, dude. Good to see both of you.”

“How did we get back?” Dean asked suspiciously, letting go of Cas’s hand to cradle his other palm. Sam thought he saw a flash of red but chalked it up to the weird light in the room. “Sammy, I swear, if you made a deal I’m going to kick your ass.”


	13. Dying

While Sam and Dean had their reunion, hugging with relief clear on their faces, Oracle stumbled over to the couch sitting at the end of the hallway. Sitting down gingerly, he swept a hand over his face then let his entire weight go. The chair cradled him and Oracle sighed in relief. That ritual had taken nearly every ounce of power he had. Oracle smiled to himself as he felt the weight of the breath in his lungs, the beat of his heart, and the flowing of his blood. He wondered if this is what mortals felt like, knowing they were dying but not there yet.

He watched as Sam pulled Castiel into the hug and knew that that part of the family was secure. The younger Winchester was the one who had felt awe and love for angels and accepting Castiel was part of that. Accepting the person his brother had apparently chosen was the rest. Gabriel stayed back by the kitchen, eyes roaming over the Winchesters and his brother. There was joy on his face though it was tempered by an old pain. It had been a long time since he’d done anything good for his brother.

 

When the three men broke their hug, Sam kept one hand on Dean’s shoulder. It was as if the younger hunter still didn’t quite believe his brother was back and was afraid if he let go, Dean would disappear again. Castiel stepped towards Gabriel, eyes solemn. Gabriel let out a deep breath and stood straight, shoulders square. He looked as if he was willing to accept anything Castiel decided to do, even if that included shoving an angel blade in his chest.

“Brother,” Castiel murmured, holding out a hand to Gabriel. The archangel took it, face transforming into a look of pure joy. As their hands met, a gentle light shined from them and Oracle knew that everything had been forgiven between the two. He knew how few angels were left and they would need to overcome the differences that had led to the Apocalypse to survive. And Oracle had looked through their pasts when it became clear that he would need to intervene and knew how close Castiel and Gabriel had been. The younger angel had looked up to his older brother with love and reverence. In turn, Gabriel had taken Castiel under his wing, literally, and protected him while teaching him everything he knew.

Sam grinned at Gabriel and Castiel as they reconnected; everything was right now. They’d added another member to Team Free Will and he was fairly certain they were stuck with each other. Not that that was a bad thing, considering the changes to his and Gabe’s relationship and the apparent ones to Cas and Dean’s. Dean was just standing there, looking around suspiciously, surprise on his face as his eyes swept over Gabriel. But Sam caught the slight softening, the warmth, when Dean looked at Cas. That was a look that Sam hadn’t seen in a long time and he was glad Dean had someone to look at like that.

“So, you’re not dead,” Dean remarked, walking up behind Cas and putting a hand on his shoulder. “How’s not dying, Gabriel? You’ve gotten a lot of practice at it, huh?”

“Here and there,” Gabriel replied flippantly though Sam could see the stress in his eyes. The younger Winchester felt a bolt of fondness and love as he stared at the archangel and Gabriel made no move to brace himself or towards Dean. “You should be thanking your lucky stars I am alive, Dean. Otherwise, you and my baby bro here would still be stuck in Purgatory.”

“No we wouldn’t,” Dean argued, shaking his head. Sam saw him wiping his palm on his jeans as if there was something there that he wanted to get off. The red light flashed again and this time, Sam knew it wasn’t because of the spell. _Something_ was wrong with Dean’s hand. “We were nearly at the portal out when you guys pulled us out.”

“Wait, there’s a portal out of Purgatory?” Sam asked, confused. He was still standing in the middle of the room, giving Cas and Gabriel space until Dean had walked up. “Then how come there aren’t monsters coming back like it’s a revolving door?”

“Because it’s not for monsters,” Oracle replied, his voice soft and tired. He’d finally gotten some of his strength back and sat up straight in his chair. It almost looked like he was sitting on a throne surveying his subjects. “That portal is only for humans, or angels, who might have been sent to Purgatory by accident. Think of it like an escape-valve in case there’s too much pressure. A human does not belong and would break down the place if he stayed.”

“And now?” Sam continued, turning to look at Oracle. “Dean and Cas are out. Does this mean the universe was righted again and we’re not going to explode or implode or something?”

“What the hell are you talking about, Sammy?” Dean snapped, turning to glare at his brother.

“Yes, everything is back to normal,” Oracle nodded. “With you and Castiel in Purgatory, the universe was thrown off balance. If we didn’t get you out, using the rituals we did, the universe would have collapsed. But... there is something different now. Dean, there is something else within you. What happened? What did you bring out?”

Dean curled his hand into his stomach, unconsciously protecting the spirit of Benny still residing in his palm. He didn’t know who the guy in the chair was but Sam and Gabriel seemed comfortable around him. Dean only hoped he hadn’t screwed things up more by bringing Benny out. He saw Sam staring at his hand and knew that his younger brother had seen the red glow on his palm. Sighing, Dean held out his palm to the older guy.

“His name’s Benny,” Dean explained quickly. “He saved Cas and helped us get to the portal. In return, he wanted out and knew a spell to get him out. There’s another spell I need to do on this side and he gets out of me.”

“Dean, what the hell?” Sam growled, stalking up to his brother and shaking his shoulder. “There are monsters in Purgatory, _monsters_! And you help one get out?”

“Look, Sammy, he saved Cas,” Dean snapped back, glaring at his brother as he took a step back. “That alone would earn him some points with me. But he helped us trying to get out. I think he’s one of the, well good ones, I guess. Reminded me a lot of Lenore.”

That silenced Sam as he remembered the vampire who had helped them find Eve. He thought it over quickly, realizing that Dean had finally admitted how much Cas meant to him. Dean took the opportunity in Sam’s silence to go back to Cas, wrapping an arm around the angel’s waist as he wavered in place. Dean was running on pure adrenaline right now but he knew exhaustion was creeping in.

“How do we get him out?” Sam asked grudgingly, dropping the subject. They’d argued far too many times in the past at reunions like this and Sam was heartily sick of it. It was time to break that, time to let everything go. “What do you need to do?”

“Well, I just need some space and to say the words,” Dean said, glancing around the room. He hoped it was big enough. Benny hadn’t exactly been clear on the exact details. “I also need a knife or something. I need to cut my hand to get him out.”

Gabriel snapped and a hunting knife appeared in his hand. Sam stopped the hand that was halfway to his belt, grinning at the archangel. It was definitely handy having the guy around, for many reasons. Dean took the knife and cut a shallow slice in his palm, wincing as he did so. Everyone stepped back as Dean held his hand out, chanting. The blood dripped to the floor and started spreading out. It grew faster than how much dripped and soon was forming the shape of a man. The red light in Dean’s palm soon bled out, disappearing into the blood on the floor. As Dean continued to chant, the blood filled out and turned into a body. With the final word, the body gasped and the eyes opened.

“Welcome back to Earth, Benny,” Dean said, handing the knife back to Gabriel and putting pressure on the cut. Cas took the hand and pressed his fingers to the wound, healing it. Dean smiled warmly at him, squeezing Cas’s hand. Benny slowly sat up, getting used to having a physical body again.

“Thanks, brother,” he said, smiling at Dean. “Feels good to be on this side again.”


	14. Ablaze

Benny held out his hand to Dean, waiting for the hunter to shake it. Dean did, smiling in relief as everything he’d been through seemed to be finally finished. But not everything was all right as Benny caught the familiar scent of blood and the sound of hearts beating in chests. He dropped Dean’s hand and doubled over as his fangs grew down over his teeth. Gabriel hissed in alarm as he saw that and pulled Sam behind him, sheltering the younger Winchester in his wings. Dean stepped back cautiously though there was no fear on his face. Oracle and Cas were the only ones who didn’t move, the angel mostly because he was exhausted and the god because he’d seen this coming.

“You can control it,” Oracle murmured quietly, eyes ablaze with power as he watched Benny’s struggle. “You control that side of you, not the other way around. Take control of your dark side, Benny.”

Oracle continued to speak in a low, measured tone, hoping desperately that the last remnants of his power wouldn’t run out before the vampire got a hold of himself. He watched as Benny dropped to his knees, one hand reaching out for Dean while the vampire shuddered. Though whether it was to capture prey or to help, Oracle had no idea. Slowly, almost glacially slowly, Benny stopped shuddering and took deeper breaths. His fangs receded and Oracle sat back in his chair, satisfied that the vampire had everything under control again.

“Sorry about that,” Benny said quietly, getting to his feet with a hand from Dean. “Fifty years without the bloodlust on the other side. Almost forgot what it felt like.”

“You all right now?” Dean asked, showing no fear which Sam thought was insane. Dean trusting a vampire? Really? Even if the thing had saved Cas, now that it was here on Earth, he’d start hunting again. Wouldn’t he? Sam remembered what Dean said about Lenore and stepped out of the shelter of Gabriel’s wings. When Gabriel grabbed Sam’s hand to hold him back, the hunter just shook his head and shifted so he could twine their fingers together.

“I think so,” Benny replied after a few seconds, looking around the room. “There are other sources of blood that I can use. Maybe not as... palatable but doable.”

“What happens if Oracle isn’t around?” Sam asked, a touch angrily. “What happens if you are near humans and decide to have a little snack? How can we let you go knowing the danger you present?”

“I can help with that,” Oracle replied, raising a hand to forestall anymore questions. “But it’s going to have to wait a few days. I’ve used up all my strength now.”

“Then we wait,” Dean said decisively, nodding at Benny before moving back to Cas. “Where are we anyway? Purgatory didn’t exactly have signs.”

“Chicago,” Sam told him. “Gabe and I have been staying here since Oracle needed our help to gather the ingredients for the rituals. Other than that, we were at the cabin.”

“And Leviathan?” Cas asked, the first words he’d spoken in a while. The angel looked even more exhausted and Sam was worried he was going to collapse if he didn’t get to a bed soon. Though, to Dean’s eyes, it was the exhaustion that came when the adrenaline stopped not the exhaustion of being cut off from your source of power. “How has it been since we’ve been gone?”

“I haven’t been paying much attention,” Sam admitted sheepishly. “I’ve been focused on getting you guys back. It hasn’t been that long and I haven’t seen anything in the news to point at them, so I guess the big mouths are lying low until they figure out what’s next.”

“And what’s next for all of us is rest,” Gabriel cut in, tugging Sam closer to him. “Dean, you and Cas can take the bedroom that Sam and I didn’t really use while we were here. We’ll go back to the cabin and make sure everything is still fine over there.”

“What? Wait, I want to know--” Dean started to say before he was cut off by a smirk and the whooshing of Gabriel’s wings. Grimacing at the spot the archangel and his brother had occupied, Dean shook his head then turned to Oracle. “So, bedroom? Though a shower first would be nice.”

Oracle didn’t bother to stand from his chair, just concentrated and moved it with him in it out of the hallway. He gestured to the hallway saying, “Bathroom is the first door on the left. The spare room is the first on the right. Benny, there’s another spare the second door on the right.”

“Thanks,” Dean said, taking Cas’s hand and pulling the angel towards the hallway. “C’mon, Cas, let me show you the wonders of a hot shower.”

“There are clothes in the bedrooms,” Oracle called after them. “Feel free to use what fits.”

Dean waved back over his shoulder and disappeared into the room. A muffled exclamation showed that he appreciated the bathroom before the door cut off further sounds. Water running provided a soothing background noise while Benny explored the apartment he found himself in. It had been a very long time since he hadn’t had to look over his shoulder for dangers and he was enjoying it immensely.

When Cas and Dean were finished in the shower, Benny took their place and luxuriated in the rush of warm water. Once he was done, he checked on the others in the apartment out of reflex, seeing Oracle in some sort of trance in his chair and Dean and Cas wrapped in each other’s arms sound asleep on the bed. Benny settled himself into his own bed, finally letting himself relax after fifty long years.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Over the next few days, Sam and Gabriel were absent most of the time. Dean didn’t inquire too closely into what his brother and the archangel were doing. He figured it was probably fairly similar to what he and his own angel were doing. Dean smiled warmly as he thought of Cas. During this downtime, they’d both learned everything about the other’s body, how they liked to be touched, what touches elicited what sounds, and what touches were so perfect that no sounds could be made. But there was still one more thing to be done before Dean could put this whole fiasco behind him: Benny had to be made safe. For himself, so he wasn’t hunted, and for others, so that he didn’t hunt them.

But right now, that wasn’t what Dean was concentrating on. Dean was concentrating on the sounds Cas was making as the angel writhed underneath him. He was sucking on the side of Cas’s neck, leaving another red mark to join the others already coloring the angel’s collarbone and shoulder. Smoothing one palm down Cas’s side, Dean moved back down to his collarbone, trailing kisses as he went. He knew that Cas liked being almost worshiped, liked the feel of Dean’s lips and tongue wherever he wanted to go on his body.

“Dean, please,” Cas finally murmured when Dean didn’t move again. There was a strained quality to the angel’s voice, as if he was forcing the words through a block in his throat. Dean grinned up at Cas then moved further down, kissing and licking the skin as he went. But before he could reach where he and Cas both wanted him to go, there was a knocking at the door.

“Dude, we need you and Cas out here,” Sam’s voice called through the door and Dean was thankful Sam hadn’t come in. It wouldn’t be the first time Sam had walked in on him like this but Dean wanted to keep Cas for himself.

“Five minutes, Sammy,” Dean called back, pressing a kiss to Cas’s hip before crawling back up and teasing at his lips. “We should probably go.”

“If we don’t, Gabriel will come looking for us,” Cas replied, sighing heavily and rolling his eyes. It was something he’d picked up from Dean and it made the hunter want to laugh every time Cas did it. “And Gabriel won’t stop at the door.”

“No, knowing him, he’d come in and give pointers,” Dean grumbled dryly. “Or a score on our performance.”

They got up and picked up the clothes that had hit the floor before they landed on the bed. Dressing quickly, Dean and Cas walked hand in hand out to the living room. There, they saw Sam and Gabriel sitting cuddled on the couch while Benny kneeled in front of Oracle. His hands were bound which kind of threw Dean.

“Dean, you are needed for this ritual,” Oracle said motioning the hunter over. “Castiel, if you would join Sam and Gabriel on the sofa? It’s better for you to be out of the way.”

Cas squeezed Dean’s hand then headed over to the couch, sitting on the end still free. Dean shrugged and walked over to Oracle, wondering what exactly was going to happen. He nodded reassuringly at Benny then turned to the god.

“So, what’s gonna happen here?” Dean asked, gesturing at the ropes around Benny’s wrists. “And why’s he tied up?”

“I am going to bind Benny’s vampire side,” Oracle explained. “He’s bound because I can’t guarantee that side of him won’t try to fight back. And I need you because you were the one who resurrected him, for lack of a better word. I need a little bit of your blood.”

Dean shrugged, holding out an arm. Oracle made a shallow slice in his palm, turning it so the blood dripped down in front of Benny. Fangs punched down out of his gums again as Benny watched the drips, eyes ablaze with hunger. Dean forced himself not to move at the sight, though it was difficult. He almost didn’t recognize the man who had saved Cas and helped them to the portal.

Letting go of Dean’s hand, Oracle raised both hands over Benny’s head with the palms down. He started to chant, the words almost recognizable. Dean’s blood started to bubble and move, a long strip heading towards Benny. As Oracle continued to chant, the strip of blood lifted up and travelled to Benny’s throat, which it circled like a collar. Benny groaned as if the blood hurt him, struggling against the ropes binding his hands. Power glowed from Oracle’s palms and the blood started to glow with the same color. With a downward, slashing motion and a final shouted syllable, Oracle completed the spell. As everyone watched, the collar of blood melted into Benny’s skin and his fangs completely disappeared. The vampire slumped down, the waves of power rushing through him and holding him up disappearing.

“It’s done,” Oracle said, smiling at the room in general. “And this completes my duty to preserving the balance of the universe. I’d thank you all to leave in the near future.”

Gabriel just snorted at that, knowing that the god had had company for far longer than he normally liked. The fact that they’d been tolerated this long was pretty impressive. He stood up and bowed to Oracle while the others were still speechless with suprise.

“Thank you for your help,” Gabriel said formally before tugging on Sam’s arm. “C’mon Sasquatch. Time to head somewhere else.” Sam nodded while Cas went over to Dean, taking his hand. With a snap, Gabriel took himself, Sam, and Benny back to the cabin they’d stayed at before. Cas and Dean followed and Dean sighed as he remembered how small the cabin was. But they’d manage, they always did.

“Looks like I’m part of the team now,” Benny commented, looking curiously around the cabin. “So when do I get an angel of my very own?”

“Part of Team Free Will you may be,” Dean laughed, hugging Cas to him. “But the angel doesn’t come with the membership. The fact that Gabriel and Cas here stick around is because they want to.”

Benny laughed and there was a scramble for the biggest room. Gabriel won by the simple expedient of poofing into it and spreading out on the bed. He gave Dean a smug grin and then snapped, causing Sam to fall on top of him. Dean grumbled but let them have the room, pulling Cas into the smaller one. Benny took the couch, marvelling in the lack of bloodlust and vampire urges. There were many battles and problems in their future but for now, Team Free Will was safe and happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the time you spent reading this fic of mine. All the comments and kudos were muchly appreciated! :D Feel free to wander through my other fics and thank you again. <3


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